"The grave consequences of adventurism": Iran called the killing of Suleimani unleashing a war

The assassination of Iranian General of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Kassem Suleimani in Baghdad by the US military is tantamount to a declaration of war. This was stated by the Permanent Representative of Iran to the UN, Majit Taht-Ravanchi. On CNN, he warned that Tehran would "brutally avenge" the death of a high-ranking officer.

“Yesterday, they (USA. - RT ) unleashed a war, having committed murder in the course of a terrorist attack, the target of which was one of our top generals. What else can you expect from Iran? We cannot just be silent. We must act, and we will act, ”he said.

When asked whether Tehran’s further steps would be military in nature, he said: “The answer to the military action is a military action”, without specifying details.

It is also known that Takht-Ravanchi called on the UN Security Council to condemn the killing of Suleimani. He sent a letter with the appropriate content to the Secretary General of the organization and the chairman of the Security Council, RIA Novosti reports, which has a copy of the document at its disposal.

The Iranian diplomatic representative called on the Security Council to fulfill its obligations and "condemn this illegal criminal act, given the grave consequences of such military adventurism." Also in the letter, Takht-Ravanchi emphasized that Tehran reserves the right to take the necessary measures, including self-defense.

The assassination of General Suleymani occurred on the night of January 3 in the vicinity of Baghdad Airport. The United States launched a missile strike, in addition to which an Iranian officer killed the deputy head of the Iraqi Shiite militia Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and about ten people who accompanied them.

Iran sharply criticized this attack, calling it a terrorist act and warning that “tough revenge” would follow. In the United States, in turn, they declared their readiness for a possible retaliatory action by Iran.

“We will continue to make efforts and are ready to respond if necessary,” said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. “We have identified many possible answers ... And we are ready for any possible reaction.”

• US Army soldiers in Iraq
• Reuters
• © Mohammed Al-Ramahi

“This will lead to a war in Iraq”

The Iraqi attack was sharply condemned by the Iraqi authorities - the acting Prime Minister Adel Abd al-Mahdi called Washington’s actions an act of aggression.

“An air strike at Baghdad’s airport is an act of aggression against Iraq and a violation of the country's sovereignty. This will lead to war in Iraq and the region, ”he wrote on Twitter.

Against this background, the largest Iraqi parties, Sairun and al-Fatah, in terms of the number of deputies in parliament, spoke in favor of adopting a law on the withdrawal of foreign troops from the country, RIA Novosti reported with reference to a statement from the factions. The speaker of the parliament of Iraq, Muhammad al-Halbusi, also condemned the attack, noting that this violates the sovereignty of the country.

The White House warned Iraqi parliamentarians against decisions that would affect the presence of the US military. US Presidential Adviser on National Security Robert O'Brien said he hoped the people of Iraq “would be grateful” to Washington “for protecting Iraq’s sovereignty.”

“We will be very disappointed if there are any adverse decisions of the Iraqi parliament ... regarding our ability to continue to help the people of Iraq,” he said.

At the same time, last night a message was received about new attacks on the Shiite militia in Iraq - an airstrike was inflicted on a column of doctors. However, a spokesman for the United States-led coalition said their troops did not conduct operations in the region.

FACT: The Coalition @CJTFOIR did NOT conduct airstrikes near Camp Taji (north of Baghdad) in recent days.

US Position

The authorities of the United States explain the assassination of General Suleimani by the fact that he was allegedly involved in the attacks on the American military and diplomats. In particular, he is accused of organizing riots in Baghdad, which led to attacks on the US embassy. However, no confirmation of the connection between the general and the incidents mentioned is provided.

Suleimani led the Quds Special Forces, which operates outside of Iran. As a talented officer, he became known back in the 80s during the Iran-Iraq war, and recently engaged in the fight against terrorist organizations in Syria and Iraq. The general was widely known in the Middle East and his assassination provoked mass protests in Iran and Iraq. On Saturday, January 4, mourning events are held in Baghdad, after which the remains of Suleymani will be delivered to their homeland and buried.

President Donald Trump, who ordered the attack, says Suleimani is involved in the killing and wounding of “thousands of Americans.” In a statement, he said that by striking this blow, the United States sought to prevent a war. At the same time, the head of state stressed that Washington is ready to continue to use force around the world.

“US forces are far superior to everyone else, anywhere in the world. We have the best special services in the world. In case the Americans encounter a threat somewhere, we have a list of goals that are already fully set, and I am ready to take any necessary measures. This is especially true of Iran, ”Trump said.

At the same time, Bloomberg, citing unnamed sources, reports that the plan to eliminate Kassem Suleimani was developed after the attack on the US military base in Iraq in late December. Then, as a result of the attack, one contractor died.

It is reported that the plans were discussed through closed communication channels and most of the White House employees did not know about them. The course included Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien, the agency said.

It is worth noting that the media reports on the US intention to transfer additional forces to the Middle East. According to AFP, Washington plans to deploy an additional 3,500 soldiers.

Commenting on the situation, US Vice President Mike Pence completely accused the killed IRGC general of involvement in the September 11, 2001 attack: “(Suleimani. - RT ) helped secretly get 10 out of 12 September 11 terrorist executors to Afghanistan,” he wrote in Twitter

Not only that, Pence did not provide any arguments in support of his words. But his words were also criticized in the comments, noting that they contradict the official results of the investigation - according to them, not 12, but 19 terrorists took part in the attack. In addition, by citizenship, they were representatives of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Lebanon, and were not related to Iran. And Suleimani himself is never mentioned in an official report.

“May seriously aggravate the situation”

In Russia and a number of Middle Eastern states, it has been ascertained that the assassination of Suleymani will lead to increased tension in the region. In particular, the Presidents of Russia Vladimir Putin and France Emmanuel Macron spoke about this during a telephone conversation on January 3.

“Both sides expressed concern about the death of the commander of the Quds special forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Kassem Suleimani, as a result of a US missile attack on Baghdad’s airport. It was stated that this action could seriously aggravate the situation in the region, ”the Kremlin’s press service said in a statement.

The Russian Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Defense also expressed concern about this attack. According to both departments, the assassination of Suleymani will not only aggravate the situation in the Middle East, but will also affect the entire system of international security.