The Assistant Head of the Iranian Judiciary for International Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, considered that the United States is directly responsible for the assassination of the martyr Qassem Soleimani.

Gharibabadi revealed in a statement to Iranian television on Sunday that "the majority of the accused are members of the US administration's structure," declaring that 125 suspects had been identified in the assassination, explaining that in addition to these accused, there are some other countries that were involved.

Regarding the assassination in Iraq, he said that Iran's goal is to find, through cooperation with the government of Iraq, all the perpetrators who were behind this terrorist crime.

Turning to the role of former US President Donald Trump in the assassination, Gharibabadi said that Trump is the main actor in implementing this terrorist crime, explaining that "Trump himself acknowledged that he ordered the execution of this terrorist act, and considered this a pride for himself."

Regarding whether the trial for the assassination will be held in Iran or some other place besides the site of the crime, he said, "Deciding on the file is a request to ensure justice worldwide, and Iraq, being the location of the crime, undoubtedly has a court qualified to decide on the crime."

He stressed that the file of Soleimani's assassination is being decided on from a criminal standpoint and will be completed soon.

Gharibabadi considered that the US "preemptive" step "has no legal basis," adding that "according to Article 51 of the United Nations charter, legitimate defense is contained by a state only when there is an act of armed aggression."

He continued, "On the night of his martyrdom, Soleimani was visiting Baghdad on a non-military visit to deliver a message to resolve regional issues."

Soleimani's second anniversary

On the eve of the second anniversary of the martyrdom of Lieutenant General Soleimani, Al-Quds Force Commander in the IRGC, Brigadier General Esmail Qaani, said that Soleimani was establishing successful relations between the battlefields.

In the meantime, the Speaker of the Iranian Shura Council, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, considered that "thanks to the blood of the martyr Soleimani and Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, the Americans are on the verge of expulsion from the region."

Moreover, Iranian leader Ali Khamenei said, on Saturday, that "the killers of the martyr General Qassem Soleimani, such as Trump and those with him, will be forgotten by history, and they will be buried in his dump, after receiving their punishment for the crime they committed."

On Saturday, the Deputy Commander of Iran's IRGC, Brigadier General Ali Fadavi, vowed not to "leave the killers of martyr Qassem Soleimani," and said, "You will see how we will pour calamities on their heads."

Iran urges UN to take action

In a letter released on Monday, Iran's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Majid Takht Ravanchi, urged the Security Council to hold the United States and "Israel" accountable for the murder of General Qassem Soleimani.

The letter was sent in light of the second anniversary of the assassination of Soleimani.

"Given the dire implications of this terrorist act on international peace and security, the Security Council must live up to its Charter-based responsibilities and hold the United States and the Israeli regime to account for planning, supporting and committing that terrorist act," Ravanchi wrote in the letter.

According to Ravanchi, Soleimani was a key figure in the fight against international terrorism, and his death was a "great gift" to ISIS and other terrorist organizations designated by the UN Security Council.

Ravanchi stated that the Iranian military is determined to continue Soleimani's work by actively assisting the region's countries and governments in their fight against terrorism.

During the second anniversary of the martyrdom of Lieutenant-General Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis at the site of their assassination at Baghdad International Airport, Al-Fayyad said that the Iraqis "remember the leaders of victory," adding that "we raise our generations on the noble values ​​they carried."

Al-Fayyad added, "The crowds that came yesterday declared loyalty for those who sacrificed their existence and their blood," stressing that both leaders "came forward every day for martyrdom, and their lives were all fighting with falsehood." 

It is noteworthy that the late Al-Quds Force Commander, Lieutenant-General Qassem Soleimani, and the Deputy Head of the Popular Mobilization Authority, Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, were martyred in an assassination operation by a US missile strike near Baghdad International Airport two years ago today, on January 3, 2020.