Iran says identified 125 individuals, mostly Americans, involved in Gen. Soleimani assassination

Iran’s top human rights official says the Islamic Republic holds the United States fully responsible for the 2020 assassination of top anti-terror Commander Lt. General Qassem Soleimani, noting that Tehran has identified more than a hundred suspects in connection with the horrendous crime.

Speaking in an interview with IRIB TV 2 television network, Kazem Gharibabadi, Secretary General of Iran’s Human Rights Office, explained that 125 individuals, mostly US officials, have already been identified, and that some countries that were involved in the terrorist act were also asked to provide Iran with related information and documents.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is determined to cooperate with Iraq, as the country where the crime took place, to identify all perpetrators, sponsors, and plotters, and bring them to justice,” Gharibabadi noted.

The Iranian official pointed out that former US President Donald Trump spearheaded the assassination, saying Trump has openly admitted to committing such a terrorist act and is proud of it. “His confession is considered as a credible document in international courts,” he maintained.

Gharibabadi went on to say that a criminal investigation into the assassination is underway and the probe will be completed in the near future.

“The Iraqi government has filed a case in this regard, and we have had interactions with Baghdad. Lt. General Soleiemeni, as the flag-bearer of the fight against terrorism, was an Iranian citizen and therefore we will handle this case according to [Iran’s] Islamic Penal Code,” he said.

“General Soleimani was on a non-military operation on the night of his martyrdom. He had departed for Iraq carrying a message about regional issues. We believe the terrorist act of his assassination can be an example of crime against humanity,” the senior Iranian official said.

“No individual, institution, country, or political faction involved in the assassination of Lt. General Soleimani can and must be able to enjoy impunity,” Gharibabadi underscored.

General Soleimani and his Iraqi trenchmate Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, Deputy Head of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), were targeted along with their companions near Baghdad International Airport on January 3, 2020, in a terrorist drone strike authorized by Trump.

Two days after the attack, Iraqi lawmakers approved a bill that requires the government to expel all foreign military forces led by the US.

ME