In a statement released on Friday evening, the Supreme National Security Council of Iran expressed condolences over the martyrdom of Major General Soleimani and the other commanders of the war against terrorism, including deputy head of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, in an American airstrike in Baghdad.
Paying tribute to General Soleimani as a source of pride and dignity for the Iranians, the whole Muslims and the oppressed people across the world, the statement emphasized that his loss would have no impact on the activities of the Iranian Armed Forces and the country’s defense capabilities.
“The US must know that the criminal attack against General Soleimani was that country’s biggest strategic mistake in the West Asia region, and the US will not get rid of the consequences of such miscalculation easily,” the SNSC added.
Making a reference to the warning from Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei that a harsh revenge awaits the criminals behind killing of the late commander, the statement said, “Those criminals will face harsh retaliation from those seeking to revenge the blood of General Soleimani at the appropriate time and place.”
The statement further underlined that the axis of resistance would further grow following this American crime, noting that such “cowardly and blind measures” could by no means weaken the Islamic Republic of Iran’s resolve to continue the policy of active resistance without any decline.
The Iranian council also described the assassination as a revenge that the US has taken for the defeat of ISIL and other Takfiri terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria at the hands of the great commanders of the war on terrorism.
The simultaneous martyrdom of the revered Iranian and Iraqi commanders in the attack signifies the “unbreakable bonds between the Iranian and Iraqi nations in future,” the statement added.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has made the necessary decisions in today’s extraordinary meeting by studying various aspects of this incident and, hereby, announces that the United States of America’s regime will be held accountable for all consequences of such criminal adventurism,” the statement added.
The council finally noted that the blood of General Soleimani, like the other martyrs of the Islamic Revolution, will be a source of blessing for the great Iranian nation and those pursuing liberty across the world.