TEHRAN — Iran’s Defense Minister Amir Hatami has vowed a “proportional response” to any action the United States might take against the Islamic Republic.

“The next measures of the Islamic Republic of Iran will be proportional to the Americans’ actions and this can go on,” Brigadier General Hatami said on Wednesday after the cabinet meeting.

Hatami said Iran will definitely seek driving the American forces, who have brought nothing but war, misery, terror and crime, out of the region.

The United States assassinated Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, Iran’s top anti-terror commander, and his comrades-in-arms in an airstrike in Baghdad on Friday morning.

The U.S. airstrike also martyred Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of the anti-terrorist Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).

Soleimani is recognized internationally as a legendary commander in the battle against terrorist groups, especially Daesh (ISIS). He commanded forces who resisted ISIS which was advancing toward the Iraqi Kurdistan and came close to Baghdad.  

Officials in Tehran and independent generals in the world have said the Soleimani assassination amounts to an act of war against Iran. 

On Wednesday morning, Iran carried out the Shahid (Martyr) Soleimani Operation against an American airbase in Iraq with tens of missiles.

Iran had vowed to take a “tough revenge” for Soleimani’s blood.

In a statement, the IRGC warned the United States that any more aggression or movement will receive more “painful and crushing” response.

In his Wednesday remarks, Hatami described General Soleimani as a figure who was well-recognized internationally and was very important for the Resistance Front.

“The Americans, in an atrocious act of terror, martyred this honorable martyr, who was a harbinger of peace and security for the region,” the minister said.

He said this move by the U.S. was a “miscalculation”. 

The minister added the Americans had imagined that they could drive a wedge between the Iranian and Iraq nations by killing General Soleimani.

He congratulated the Iranian nation and armed forces on the big victory of the Shahid Soleimani Operation, hoping that this would become an “unforgettable lesson” for the Americans.

The Iranian foreign minister also said on Wednesday that Iran had “concluded” its attacks on American forces and did “not seek escalation or war”.

“Iran took & concluded proportionate measures in self-defense under Article 51 of UN Charter targeting base from which cowardly armed attack against our citizens & senior officials were launched,” he tweeted after the attack.

“We do not seek escalation or war, but will defend ourselves against any aggression,” he added.

MH/PA