Iran's chief judge says 'we will meet' Soleimani's killers, but not for talks
The head of Iran’s Judiciary has said, “We will soon meet the killers of Qassem Soleimani, but not for talks”, adding that Iran will pursue legal action in international tribunals.
In a meeting of Iran’s Supreme Judicial Council, Ayatollah Ebrahim Raeesi said that Soleimani’s killing has “aroused the people of the region” and has united them with the Iranian nation, Tasnim news agency reported.
Raeesi emphasized that Iran will pursue legal options against those responsible for the targeted killing, He said he has spoken with his Iraqi counterpart and received assurances the Iraqi government is also planning to pursue the matter but did not offer any details.
The conservative cleric announced: Sooner or later we will meet with the killers of Qassem Soleimani, but not for talks, rather we will pursue the matter through international bodies and take the killers to trial and punishment.
General Qassem Soleimani was the commander of Iran’s extraterritorial Qods (Quds) Force, which is a military and intelligence unit of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC). He was killed by a U.S. drone strike on January 3 near the Baghdad airport.
The killing raised tensions further between Iran and the United States and was also seen as a hard blow to the Islamic Republic’s influence-building efforts in the region.
There have been no reports so far of Iran taking any steps to start legal action in Soleimani’s case. Western governments regarded the shadowy general as someone involved with militant groups in the Middle East and possibly in attacks against Western interests.