Hours after the IRGC Quds Force Commander Major General Qassem Soleimani was assassinated in a US airstrike in Baghdad, Ayatollah Khamenei appointed the late commander’s deputy as his replacement.
In a decree, the Leader paid tribute to late General Soleimani, and appointed Brigadier General Qa'ani as the new IRGC Quds Force commander, whom he described as one of the most prominent military commanders during the Sacred Defense –the Iraqi imposed war on Iran in the 1980s- and who has served in the Quds Force for many years.
Ayatollah Khamenei, also commander-in-chief of the Iranian Armed Forces, underlined that the Quds Force’s plans under the new commander would be the same as those under command of Martyr Soleimani.
The Leader also urged the Quds Force troops to cooperate with General Qa'ani.
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.