It seems like 2020 is not off to a great start for Iran as their most important military commander General Qasem Soleimani has been killed by a US airstrike in Iraq.
Gen Soleimani was 62 when he died and was the head of the Quds Forces in Iran. He was killed in Baghdad Airport along with some local Irani militia on 3rd January 2020 in an airstrike ordered by US President Donald Trump. This has sparked greater tensions between the two countries. Many see this as retaliation by the US for the embassy attack in Baghdad by the Irani militia on 31st December 2019.
Under Soleimani’s leadership, Iran had supported Hezbollah in Lebanon and other pro-Iranian militant groups expanding Iran’s stronghold in Iraq and Syria. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said: “severe revenge awaits the criminals” behind the attack. He also announced three days of national mourning.
In Iran, Soleimani was nothing short of a celebrity and a hero who led the elite unit of Iranian Revolutionary Guards. These guards directly reported to Ayatollah which made Soleimani a very powerful man in Iran.
However, the US called the commander and these Quds Forces terrorists and held them responsible for the deaths of hundreds of US personnel. President Trump tweeted a photo of the US flag shortly after the news of the airstrike broke.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2020
A Pentagon statement said: “At the direction of the president, the US military has taken decisive defensive action to protect US personnel abroad by killing Qasem Soleimani.”
Prices of crude oil have already gone up 4% and the implications of this airstrike will be immense if not solved diplomatically.
