عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Iran Calls on Iraq to Form a Judicial Case on Soleimani’s Assassination

Qassem Soleimani’s children arrive at their father’s fourth-anniversary ceremony in Tehran (Tasnim)
Qassem Soleimani’s children arrive at their father’s fourth-anniversary ceremony in Tehran (Tasnim)
TT
TT

Iran Calls on Iraq to Form a Judicial Case on Soleimani’s Assassination

Qassem Soleimani’s children arrive at their father’s fourth-anniversary ceremony in Tehran (Tasnim)
Qassem Soleimani’s children arrive at their father’s fourth-anniversary ceremony in Tehran (Tasnim)

Iran is in contact with Iraq to form legal proceedings to prosecute those accused in the killing of al-Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US strike in Baghdad four years ago.

The head of the Human Rights Committee of the Iranian judiciary, Kazem Gharibabadi, revealed that the Soleimani case has already been pursued in local courts and is trying to be brought to the international level.

The Tasnim Agency, affiliated with the Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), quoted Gharibabadi as saying that Iran informed US defendants of their right to appear in court, defend themselves, or designate a lawyer to represent them. The court would appoint one if the suspects did not choose a lawyer.

According to the Iranian official, Tehran is communicating with the Iraqi authorities regarding the Soleimani case. They have urged their counterparts in Baghdad to conclude their investigations swiftly and submit the indictment to the court.

Recently, an Iraqi delegation visited Tehran and assured that their investigations would conclude soon. They indicated their intention to submit a list of indictments to the court, marking the beginning of a judicial process in the two countries.

Over the past two years, Iranian authorities pressured Baghdad to secure recognition of Soleimani’s entry into Iraq on a diplomatic mission before the US drone targeted him.

Last month, the Iranian judiciary demanded the US administration pay compensation of about $50 billion for assassinating the top military officer.

In 2020, Soleimani was assassinated during a US drone strike near Baghdad International Airport, ordered by former US President Donald Trump.

At the time, Trump confirmed that the US succeeded in eliminating a top Iranian commander who was plotting “imminent” attacks against US diplomats and military personnel.

Soleimani, who passed away at 62, had a long career within the ranks of the Revolutionary Guard.

Ultimately, he rose to lead the al-Quds Force in the late nineties.

He is credited with a significant role in the expansion of Iranian intelligence and military operations in the Middle East and contributed to building armed groups that fight by proxy, which concerned the US and its allies.

Months before his killing, Soleimani had announced an “asymmetric” war against US forces and their interests in the region.

He said that he would fight that war without direct interference from the Iranian armed forces, referring to armed groups loyal to Iran

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Italy’s Foreign Minister Heads to Syria to Encourage Post-Assad Transition

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks to the media a he arrives for a meeting at Rome’s Villa Madama, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 on the situation in Syria after the collapse of the Assad regime. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini (Andrew Medichini/AP POOL)
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks to the media a he arrives for a meeting at Rome’s Villa Madama, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 on the situation in Syria after the collapse of the Assad regime. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini (Andrew Medichini/AP POOL)
TT
TT

Italy’s Foreign Minister Heads to Syria to Encourage Post-Assad Transition

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks to the media a he arrives for a meeting at Rome’s Villa Madama, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 on the situation in Syria after the collapse of the Assad regime. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini (Andrew Medichini/AP POOL)
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks to the media a he arrives for a meeting at Rome’s Villa Madama, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 on the situation in Syria after the collapse of the Assad regime. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini (Andrew Medichini/AP POOL)

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he would travel to Syria on Friday to encourage the country's transition following the ouster of President Bashar Assad by insurgents, and appealed on Europe to review its sanctions on Damascus now that the political situation has changed.
Tajani presided over a meeting in Rome on Thursday of foreign ministry officials from five countries, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and the United States.
The aim, he said, is to coordinate the various post-Assad initiatives, with Italy prepared to make proposals on private investments in health care for the Syrian population.
Going into the meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and their European counterparts, Tajani said it was critical that all Syrians be recognized with equal rights. It was a reference to concerns about the rights of Christians and other minorities under Syria’s new de facto authorities of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HT.
“The first messages from Damascus have been positive. That’s why I’m going there tomorrow, to encourage this new phase that will help stabilize the international situation,” Tajani said.
Speaking to reporters, he said the European Union should discuss possible changes to its sanctions on Syria. “It’s an issue that should be discussed because Assad isn’t there anymore, it’s a new situation, and I think that the encouraging signals that are arriving should be further encouraged,” he said.
Syria has been under deeply isolating sanctions by the US, the European Union and others for years as a result of Assad’s brutal response to what began as peaceful anti-government protests in 2011 and spiraled into civil war.
HTS led a lightning insurgency that ousted Assad on Dec. 8 and ended his family’s decades-long rule. From 2011 until Assad’s downfall, Syria’s uprising and civil war killed an estimated 500,000 people.
The US has gradually lifted some penalties since Assad departed Syria for protection in Russia. The Biden administration in December decided to drop a $10 million bounty it had offered for the capture of a Syrian opposition leader whose forces led the ouster of Assad last month.
Syria’s new leaders also have been urged to respect the rights of minorities and women. Many Syrian Christians, who made up 10% of the population before Syria’s civil war, either fled the country or supported Assad out of fear of insurgents.