TEHRAN – The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Sunday summoned Germany’s charge d’affaires to Iran over certain German officials’ “unrealistic, inconsiderate and destructive” remarks about the U.S. terrorist action in assassinating Iranian military commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani.

“Martyr General Soleimani was hero of fighting terrorism at regional and international level. So, unilateral and unacceptable stances are contrary to cooperation between the two countries and also to regional peace, stability and security,” the Foreign Ministry said.

The German charge d'affaires said he would immediately convey Iran's protest to Berlin.

Soleimani was assassinated in a United States’ airstrike in Baghdad on Friday.

According to Deutsche Welle, a German government spokeswoman, Ulrike Demmer, claimed that the U.S. strike that martyred Soleimani was a response to Iranian military provocations.

The Bild am Sonntag newspaper on Saturday quoted German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s would-be successor, as saying that the U.S. had acted alone in the assassination of the late Iranian commander, but claimed that General Soleimani was responsible “for exporting terror and violence, resulting in many deaths,” Press TV reported.

NA/PA