Revenge for Gen. Soleimani assassination ‘definite,’ says Imam Khamenei

The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Imam Khamenei stated on Wednesday that the Islamic Republic will undoubtedly take revenge against those who assassinated Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani earlier this year.

“Attendance of millions of people in Martyr Soleimani’s funeral was the first tough slap on the face of the American [rulers], but the tougher slap will be a dominance of soft [power] over the fake grandeur of the arrogant, as well as America’s expulsion from the region,” Imam Khamenei noted.

He made the comments in a meeting with General Soleimani’s family and members of the headquarters responsible for commemorating the very first anniversary of the martyred commander.

“However, revenge is due for the perpetrators and murderers of General Soleimani, and this revenge will certainly take place, whenever possible,” Imam Khamenei said.

General Qasem Soleimani was an Iranian major general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and, from 1998 until his death in 2020, commander of its Quds Force, a division mainly responsible for extraterritorial military and clandestine operations.

Toward the end of his life, he was considered by some to be the second most powerful person in the Islamic Republic behind Imam Khamenei himself.

General Soleimani was assassinated in a targeted U.S. drone strike on 3 January 2020 in Baghdad, which was ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump. The strike was strongly denounced by some, including of course the Iranian government, and a multi-city funeral was held in Iraq and Iran for General Soleimani and other casualties.

Only hours after his burial on 7 January 2020, the Iranian military launched missiles against U.S. bases in Iraq and the Pentagon reported that 110 U.S. troops were wounded as a result.

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