Diplomat Says Gen. Soleimani’s Assassination Will Have Strategic Consequences

In an address to a meeting on the political and strategic consequences of the US assassination of Lt. General Soleimani, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Seyyed Abbas Araqchi said the history of the region has been separated into two sections after martyrdom of the commander, particularly following Iran’s strong retaliatory attack on the US bases in Iraq that “created a change in the strategic equations in the region and in the arrangement of power between Iran and the US.”

He said the assassination of the Iranian commander has had impacts on the front of resistance, the fight against Takfiri terrorism and ISIS, and on the equation of power in the struggle between Iran and the US.

“I believe that regarding the resistance, losing General Soleimani has had positive consequences, contrary to the American evaluations. We lost a great commander who had profound influence on the resistance, but when we consider the process of resistance in its entirety, (we see that) the axis of resistance has not lost any geography (territories), as the weapons and cause of resistance are still in place. The resistance groups are still existing,” Araqchi underlined.

The martyrdom of Lt. General Soleimani will undoubtedly boost the power of the axis of resistance, he noted, dismissing the notion that the Iranian commander’s loss has marked a victory for the ISIS terrorists.

“The fight against Daesh (ISIS) and the terrorist groups will definitely go on in our region, and the war on Daesh is a strategic battle that Iran and the other countries in the region of the resistance groups must and will continue,” Araqchi noted, stressing that the tactical disruptions, if any, will be immediately addressed.

Highlighting the “strategic and geopolitical” capacities developed by the new resistance groups across the region after the rise of ISIS, the Iranian diplomat said the mistakes made by the US and the West resulted in an increase in Iran’s power and the adoption of prudent policies by the Islamic Republic.

He further noted that the assassination of Lt.

General Soleimani created another milestone in the regional security equations, adding, “When the martyrdom of General Soleimani was retaliated by firing missiles at the American bases (in Iraq) and the US was incapable of showing a new response, it marked the greatest strategic development in the Persian Gulf and West Asia.”

Washington was mistaken to believe it could undermine Iran’s military might or weaken the axis of resistance by assassinating General Soleimani, Araqchi added, saying the US received a strong response following two major incidents: the massive turnout of people in the funeral of the popular commander and the retaliatory missile attack on Ain al-Assad airbase.

“Iran responded to it (assassination of Soleimani) with two moves, one was the presence of tens of millions of people in the funeral of the commander during which they expressed their faith and vented their anger at the US. A national resolve was shaped, and this national resolve dealt a strategic blow to the US. And (the other move was) firing 15 powerful and heavy missiles on the US’ largest base in Iraq, which was not a small issue and was deemed to be a strategic blow. The number of (American) casualties is not important at all… What matters is that they (Americans) came to the conclusion that they should not respond,” he explained.

Iran’s missile attack on the US airbase in Iraq created a “strategic balance” and a “strategic deterrence” in the struggle between Iran and the US, Araqchi added, saying Iran’s missile strike smashed the image of US military power and gave them a hard slap in the face.

“Over the past 40 years after the (victory of the Islamic) Revolution, the US has made many such strategic mistakes, and every mistake has led to a strategic victory for Iran. This most recent mistake resulted in the biggest strategic victory for Iran,” Araqchi underlined, saying the assassination of Lt.

General Soleimani has resulted in many strategic achievements, one of which has been stronger national unity in Iran.