2020. Iraq. Assassination of Qasem Soleimani. (In Progress)
Russia Is A Terrorist State Part 5 (2020 - 2021)
2020. Iraq. Assassination of Qasem Soleimani. (In Progress)
“Major General Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Quds Force” by sayyed shahab-o- din vajedi under CC BY 4.0
The killing of Qasem Soleimani, the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, by a US drone strike in Baghdad on January 3, 2020, had significant geopolitical ramifications that continue to reverberate across the Middle East today. Reuters reported on October 6, 2015 that Major General Qasem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s Quds Force, plotted out a Syrian assault with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The report stated that Soleimani’s presence in Russia was contrary to the United Nations’ travel ban imposed on him. The article cited an anonymous U.S. official, who claimed that the meeting was one of several aimed at saving Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
On January 2, 2020, the US ordered a drone strike that killed General Soleimani, the leader of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, a national hero in Iran and a highly influential figure in the region, as reported by The New York Times and CNN. President Donald Trump ordered the attack on Soleimani, which took place at Baghdad International Airport in Iraq. The assassination was widely condemned by Iranian officials, and Iran vowed to retaliate against the U.S. for the killing of their top military leader.
On January 3, 2020, the BBC News reported on the killing of General Soleimani, highlighting his significant role in Iran’s military and the impact that his death would have on Iran and the wider Middle East. The report stated that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, vowed to take "harsh revenge" for Soleimani's death, and that Iranian officials and people across the country were united in their anger at the U.S.
In the days following the killing, analysts and experts began to assess the implications of the event. The Atlantic Council reported on January 4 that Russia had expressed concern about the escalation of tensions in the region, while the Center for Strategic and International Studies analyzed how Russia might react to the killing of Soleimani on January 6. On January 8, Foreign Policy reported that Russian President Putin was seeking to heighten Russia’s role in the region as a result of the US strike.
In a statement reported by Reuters on January 4, 2020, the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, spoke with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, about Soleimani’s killing. The two officials discussed the escalation of tensions between the U.S. and Iran and the potential consequences of Soleimani’s death. The article stated that Russia and Iran had a close relationship, and that Russia had previously supported Iran in its conflicts with the U.S.
The Atlantic Council published an article on January 4, 2020, examining Russia’s response to the killing of Soleimani. The report suggested that Russia was not surprised by the U.S. attack on Soleimani and was likely to use the situation to strengthen its influence in the Middle East. The article stated that Russia had been working to expand its role in Syria and had been seeking to increase its involvement in Iraq as well.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies published an article on January 6, 2020, discussing how Russia might react to the killing of Soleimani. The report highlighted the complex relationship between Russia, Iran, and the U.S. and suggested that Russia would seek to take advantage of the situation to advance its interests in the region. The article stated that Russia had previously worked with both Iran and the U.S. and would likely try to maintain relationships with both countries.
In an opinion piece published by Slate on January 8, 2020, the author argued that the only winner in the U.S.-Iran showdown was Russia. The report suggested that Russia had already been making gains in the Middle East and that the U.S.-Iran conflict would further strengthen Russia's position in the region. The author argued that the U.S. had handed Russia a victory by killing Soleimani and increasing tensions with Iran.
The Washington Post published an opinion piece on January 11 that argued that Soleimani’s killing was a gift to Putin. Brookings published an article on January 14 asking why the Pentagon had given President Trump the option of killing Soleimani, while Defense News analyzed Putin’s response to the situation on January 15. Al Jazeera published an opinion piece on the same day, arguing that Soleimani’s killing strengthened Putin’s hand in Syria and Iraq.
Foreign Policy published an article on January 8, 2020, reporting on how Putin was moving to heighten Russia’s role after the killing of Soleimani. The report suggested that Russia was looking to take advantage of the U.S.-Iran conflict to expand its influence in the region. The article stated that Russia had been working to increase its military presence in Syria and that Putin had been making efforts to build relationships with other countries in the Middle East.
In the aftermath of Soleimani's killing, many analysts began to speculate on how Russia would react to the event. Several articles from different news sources, such as the Atlantic Council and the Center for Strategic and International Studies, discussed the possible impact on Russian interests in the Middle East. The consensus was that while Russia would likely not take any immediate action, the killing of Soleimani would strengthen Putin's hand in Syria and Iraq, as it would reduce Iranian influence in these countries and potentially open up opportunities for Russia to increase its own influence.
The Washington Post, on the other hand, argued that the killing of Soleimani was a gift to Putin, as it would distract from Russia's own activities in the Middle East and allow Russia to position itself as a mediator between the US and Iran. Foreign Policy reported that Putin had moved to heighten Russia's role in the region after the killing, with Russian officials visiting Iraq, Syria, and Iran in the days following the strike.
On July 6, 2020, Reuters reported that a UN expert had deemed the US drone strike on Soleimani to be an unlawful killing, sparking renewed discussion about the legality and ethics of the attack. This was followed by a confirmation from an ex-intelligence chief that Israel had played a role in the killing, further complicating the situation. This was followed by a report by the BBC on July 9 that the UN expert had said the strike was unlawful. Meanwhile, Politico published an article on August 4, 2021, arguing that the assassination of Soleimani had failed to weaken Iraqi militias and had instead given them more power.
AP News reported on December 21, 2021, that an ex-intelligence chief had confirmed Israel’s role in Soleimani’s killing. Finally, on January 3, 2022, NPR published an article marking the two-year anniversary of the killing and discussing how tensions between the US and Iran remained high. On the same day, Reuters reported that Iran had vowed to seek revenge for Soleimani’s killing if former President Donald Trump was not put on trial.
In January 2022, on the third anniversary of Soleimani's death, tensions between Iran and the US remained high, with Iran vowing revenge if former President Trump was not put on trial for his role in the attack. On January 3, 2023, VOA News reported that Iranian officials, including the country's supreme leader, continued to praise Soleimani as a martyr and a hero, underscoring the continuing significance of his death in the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East, and that Iran had renewed its pledge to seek revenge for Soleimani’s death, three years after the event.
In conclusion, the killing of Qasem Soleimani by the US in 2020 sparked a complex chain of events, with significant implications for US-Iran relations, as well as for regional power dynamics and Russian interests in the Middle East. The aftermath of the strike, including the reactions of various governments and international organizations, and the ongoing tensions between Iran and the US, continue to shape the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East.
Written with ChatGPT on April 30, 2023