Iran Vows Revenge for Soleimani Killing If Trump Not Put on Trial

Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi. (AP)
Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi. (AP)
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Iran Vows Revenge for Soleimani Killing If Trump Not Put on Trial

Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi. (AP)
Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi. (AP)

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, speaking on the second anniversary of the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani by the United States, said that former US President Donald Trump must face trial for the killing or Tehran would take revenge.

Iran and groups allied with it in Iraq have been holding events to honor Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, the overseas arm of the elite Revolutionary Guards. He was killed in Iraq in a drone strike on Jan. 3, 2020, ordered by then President Trump.

In a televised speech on Monday, Raisi demanded that Trump and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo be tried "in a fair court for the criminal act of assassinating General Soleimani".

Iranian judicial officials have communicated with authorities in nine countries after identifying 127 suspects in the case, including 74 US nationals, Prosecutor-General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri told state television.

"The criminal former president (Trump) is at the top of the list," he said.

On Sunday, Iran urged the United Nations Security Council in a letter to hold the United States and Israel, which Tehran says was also involved in the killing, to account, according to Iranian media.

Days after the assassination, the United States told the United Nations that the killing was self-defense and vowed to take additional action as necessary in the Middle East to protect US personnel and interests.

The then US Attorney General William Barr said at the time that Trump clearly had the authority to kill Soleimani and the general was a "legitimate military target."



Seven Injured in Residential Building Blast in Outskirts of Iran's Qom

The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
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Seven Injured in Residential Building Blast in Outskirts of Iran's Qom

The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner

An explosion at a residential building injured seven people in the Pardisan neighborhood of Qom city, Iran's Student News Network reported on Monday, quoting a local emergency official, who added that five ambulances were dispatched to the area.

No further details were given.