Soleimani Warns against Sectarian Sedition in Iran

Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani , the head of the Iranian Radio and Television Ali Askari, and the head cleric of Friday speech imams in Tehran Ali Akbari (Tasnim)
Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani , the head of the Iranian Radio and Television Ali Askari, and the head cleric of Friday speech imams in Tehran Ali Akbari (Tasnim)
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Soleimani Warns against Sectarian Sedition in Iran

Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani , the head of the Iranian Radio and Television Ali Askari, and the head cleric of Friday speech imams in Tehran Ali Akbari (Tasnim)
Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani , the head of the Iranian Radio and Television Ali Askari, and the head cleric of Friday speech imams in Tehran Ali Akbari (Tasnim)

Iran’s Quds Force chief Qassem Soleimani admitted on Sunday to allies inside Iran and abroad criticism on his division’s participation in Syria.

Soleimani said that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has taken the decision with the country’s best interest in mind, regardless whether the intervention was defending a dictator or not.

The Quds Force is a special forces unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guards responsible for their extraterritorial operations. The Quds Force reports directly to Khamenei, and its commander is Soleimani.

Speaking in Tehran, Soleimani for the first time made note of an internal opposition on an official level concerning the military intervention the Revolutionary Guard is leading in Syria and Iraq.

“High-end friends on the inside and the outside had asked for us not to interfere in Syria and Iraq, and had defended the revolution in a respectful way,” said Soleimani.  

"Do we consider our relations with other countries as to who is a dictator and otherwise, or must we choose interests?" Fars news agency, Revolutionary Guards mouthpiece, cited Soleimani as saying.

Referring to Iranian military forces staging missions in Syria and Iraq, Soleimani claimed that his country takes credit for allegedly "linking Sunni and Shi’ite sects," stressing that his country "reached unprecedented strength" because of what he saw as Khamenei's "influential" role.

The Quds Force has been leading a coalition of Iranian, Afghan and Pakistani fighters as well as Lebanese Hezbollah and an Iraqi militia in Syria for six years.

Soleimani denied that his country had advanced its interests over those of Iraq's or had sought control over oil wells and the Iraqi cities of Mosul and Kirkuk, and also repudiated information on his forces getting paid for their participation abroad.

"The Shi'ite crescent is not political but economic, the most important issue in the world is economic," Soleimani had said on March 29, 2014, during a speech in which he defended the role of his forces in the region.

Since reports started coming in on Revolutionary Guard fighters being killed abroad, Tehran has denied the presence of troops in Syria, but later said that its military forces are taking up an "advisory" role in Iraq and Syria at the official request of the governments of both countries.

Responding to accusations directed towards Iran for destabilizing the region, Soleimani said "we through sects have prevented sectarian war, not military force.”

However, for six years, the Revolutionary Guards have refused to reveal their losses abroad, whether in fighters or expenses. Last month, Soleimani said defense ministry factories manufactured weapons around the clock to arm Tehran-allied Iraqi forces.

Although Soleimani stressed the "linkage of Shi’ite and Sunni sects" in Syria and Iraq, he warned at the same time of the "danger of sectarian strife" inside Iran. He called for activating the role of mosques in Iran to "rehabilitate" fighters.



Suspected Mastermind of French Crypto Kidnappings Held in Morocco

Badiss Mohammed Bajjou was wanted by French authorities over a spate of kidnappings (Handout) - AFP
Badiss Mohammed Bajjou was wanted by French authorities over a spate of kidnappings (Handout) - AFP
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Suspected Mastermind of French Crypto Kidnappings Held in Morocco

Badiss Mohammed Bajjou was wanted by French authorities over a spate of kidnappings (Handout) - AFP
Badiss Mohammed Bajjou was wanted by French authorities over a spate of kidnappings (Handout) - AFP

A 24-year-old Franco-Moroccan man suspected of masterminding a series of kidnappings targeting cryptocurrency entrepreneurs in France has been arrested in Morocco, France said.

Badiss Mohamed Amide Bajjou was wanted by the French authorities and was the subject of an Interpol red notice for "arrest, kidnapping, false imprisonment or arbitrary detention of a hostage."

The suspect was arrested in the northern Moroccan city of Tangier, according to a statement from the country's General Directorate for National Security carried by Moroccan state news agency MAP.

France has been shaken by a series of kidnappings and attempted abductions targeting cryptocurrency bosses and their families in recent months, prompting one prominent crypto entrepreneur to call on authorities to "stop the Mexicanisation" of the country, AFP reported.

"I sincerely thank Morocco for this arrest, which demonstrates excellent judicial cooperation between our two countries, particularly in the fight against organised crime," French Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said on X.

A native of Le Chesnay west of Paris, Bajjou is suspected of being one of the masterminds behind the high-profile kidnapping in January of French crypto boss David Balland and his partner, according to French daily Le Parisien.

Balland co-founded the crypto firm Ledger, valued at the time at more than $1 billion. Balland's finger was cut off by his kidnappers, who demanded a hefty ransom.

Last week French authorities charged 25 people, including six minors, over the series of kidnappings and attempted abductions.

The crimes have become a major embarrassment for the French government and have sparked concern about the security of wealthy crypto tycoons, who have notched up immense fortunes from the booming business.

In May, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau held an emergency meeting with cryptocurrency leaders, with the ministry announcing plans to bolster their security.