Zarif on Friday released a statement on the US assassination of IRGC Quds Force Commander Major General Soleimani, expressing disgust at and strongly condemning the American forces’ terrorist and criminal move.
He also offered condolences and congratulations to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Armed Forces Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, the country’s Armed Forces especially the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), the great nation of Iran and Major General Soleimani’s dignified family as well as the Islamic resistance forces over the great tragedy.
“The malice and stupidity of American terrorist forces who assassinated General Soleimani, a hero martyr and a commander of fight against terrorism and extremism, will undoubtedly further strengthen the tree of resistance in the region and the world,” Zarif said in the statement.
“The Foreign Ministry of the Islamic Republic of Iran will tap into all its political, legal, and international capacities to implement the decisions made by the Supreme National Security Council in order to hold the criminal and terrorist regime of the US accountable for this blatant crime,” he added.
The IRGC announced in a statement on Friday morning that Major General Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), were martyred in US airstrikes in the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
The White House and the Pentagon confirmed the assassination of General Soleimani in Iraq, saying the attack was carried out at the direction of US President Donald Trump.