Iraq's PM Slams Former US President Donald Trump

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani during the memorial ceremony on the third anniversary of the assassination of Soleimani and al-Muhandis (INA)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani during the memorial ceremony on the third anniversary of the assassination of Soleimani and al-Muhandis (INA)
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Iraq's PM Slams Former US President Donald Trump

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani during the memorial ceremony on the third anniversary of the assassination of Soleimani and al-Muhandis (INA)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani during the memorial ceremony on the third anniversary of the assassination of Soleimani and al-Muhandis (INA)

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani strongly attacked the administration of former US President Donald Trump for carrying out the strikes that killed Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

Sudani said during a speech at a memorial ceremony on the third anniversary of the assassination that this action by the previous US administration was a "flagrant assault on Iraqi territory and sovereignty."

He condemned the assassination, saying it was against all international norms and laws and a dangerous act, warning that its repercussions could have threatened security and stability in the entire region.

"Targeting a leadership that had a role in repelling the terrorist attack on Iraq and the region is an action that does not express respect for bilateral agreements and friendship," the Iraqi premier said.

He recalled the heroism of the two and their achievements on battlefields and against the "most violent extremist terrorist group in our contemporary history," referring to ISIS.

"Our government is working to build a solid foundation for Iraqi sovereignty, an Iraq that is independent in its policies, building its relations based on common interests," he said.

The ceremony was attended by the head of the Supreme Judicial Council in Iraq, Faiq Zaidan.

Zaidan described the killing of Soleimani and Muhandis as "a treacherous and cowardly crime that has no moral basis."

He asserted that the judiciary would hold those involved in the crime accountable, adding that the court would not hesitate to take legal action.

Zaidan recalled that the judiciary issued an arrest warrant against the former US president, who confessed to committing the crime.

In January 2021, Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council issued an arrest warrant for Trump for his part in the assassination of the two leaders.

The memorandum was based on the provisions of Article 406 of the Iraqi Penal Code in force related to premeditated murder, and its penalty is death.

The head of a committee set up by the Foreign Ministry to investigate the US assassination of Soleimani, Abbas Ali Kadkhodaei, announced last Wednesday that an Iraqi judicial delegation would visit Tehran this week to discuss the case.

Kadkhodaei said in press statements that Iraq has been cooperating with Iran since the beginning, and the two countries held bilateral meetings, adding that a delegation of Iraqi judicial officials is expected to visit Iran.

He stated that cooperation has been good between the two, and the Iraqi official helped collect evidence, expecting more actions with the new cabinet.

The official noted that Iraq has obligations and agreements with the US government.



More Than 50,000 Refugees Return to Syria from Türkiye

A boy cycles past buildings which were damaged during the war between opposition forces and the Assad regime, in the town of Harasta, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
A boy cycles past buildings which were damaged during the war between opposition forces and the Assad regime, in the town of Harasta, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
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More Than 50,000 Refugees Return to Syria from Türkiye

A boy cycles past buildings which were damaged during the war between opposition forces and the Assad regime, in the town of Harasta, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
A boy cycles past buildings which were damaged during the war between opposition forces and the Assad regime, in the town of Harasta, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Türkiye’s Interior Affairs Minister said Thursday that a total of 52,622 refugees have returned to Syria from Türkiye in the first month following Bashar Assad’s removal from power on Dec. 8.
Speaking at the Cilvegozu border crossing between Türkiye and Syria on Thursday, Ali Yerlikaya said that more than 40,000 Syrians had returned with family members while some 11,000 individuals crossed into Syria alone.
“The voluntary, safe, honorable and regular returns have started to increase,” Yerlikaya said.
Türkiye has hosted the largest number of Syrian refugees since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011 — more than 3.8 million at its peak in 2022.