After the drone strike that killed an Iranian leader on January 3 in Baghdad, Iran has issued an arrest warrant for President Donald Trump.
What We Know:
- General Soleimani and five others, including Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy head of the Iran-backed Iraqui Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), were killed on January 3 in a US drone strike at Baghdad International Airport.
- According to the semi-official Fars news agency, Iran issued 36 arrest warrants in regards to the death of Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC). President Donald Trump is one of them. And, according to the Tehran attorney general Ali Alqasi Mehr, Trump was at the top of the list.
- Alqasi Mehr said that those accused of being involved in the killing of General Soleimani face “murder and terrorism charges”. The identity of the others accused has not been released but Mehr said that Trump will be prosecuted after his presidency ends.
- Iran asked Interpol to issue a Red Notice for the 36 individuals, however, the request did not comply with its rules and constitution. Interpol’s guidelines for notices forbids it from intervening in political, military, religious, or racial matters.
- On Monday, US Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook called the move a “political stunt” during a press conference with the Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir.
- “It’s propaganda that we’re used to,” Hook said. “This has nothing to do with national security, international peace or promoting stability, so we see it for what it is –– it’s a propaganda student that no one takes seriously and makes the Iranians look foolish.”
The assassination was decided by the Trump administration because they viewed Soleimani as a murderer and thought that he should’ve been killed by previous presidents. Soleimani was blamed for the deaths of many Americans and US allies that happened months before his killing.
