TEHRAN -- An Iranian legal official on Saturday blasted the United States’ “unforgivable crime” of assassinating Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani in violation of international law, saying Tehran is seriously pursuing a judicial process to serve justice in the case.
Abbas-Ali Kadkhodaei, who heads a special committee formed to follow up on General Soleimani’s murder case, said the dossier is being pursued by both the Iranian Judiciary and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“In the criminal aspect, the indictment related to this case is nearing its final stages and we hope that it will reach good result,” he added.
The U.S. military assassinated General Soleimani and a group of his companions upon arrival in Iraq for an official visit in January 2020, over three years after the top Iranian commander effectively helped Baghdad rid the entire Iraqi territory of Daesh, the world’s most notorious terror group.
Kadkhodaei said Daesh was a creation of the U.S. and Washington lost an effective instrument in the region with the collapse of the terror group’s territorial rule in Iraq and elsewhere in the region thanks to General Soleimani’s efforts.
By committing the crime, he added, the Americans violated their international commitments and those envisioned in the United Nations Charter, including respecting the sovereignty and independence of other countries as well as human rights.
He said the U.S. has also failed to justify the assassination, which he described as a “clear example of state terrorism.”