TEHRAN - Parviz Esmaeili, the Iranians ambassador to Croatia, has said that U.S. President Donald Trump fulfilled what Daesh had been wishing by ordering the assassination of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani.

In an interview with Vecernji list newspaper, the ambassador said that assassination of Soleimani was a “criminal” and “cowardly” act, IRNA reported on Sunday.

No retaliatory action will be an appropriate response to the U.S. terrorist action, he added.

On January 3, Trump ordered airstrikes that martyred General Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), in Baghdad’s international airport.

In the early hours of January 8, the IRGC fired dozens of ballistic missiles at a military airbase hosting U.S. forces in Iraq as part of its promised “tough revenge” for the U.S. terrorist attack.

Soleimani was recognized internationally as a legendary commander in the war against terrorist groups, especially Daesh (ISIS).

‘U.S. is responsible for spread of coronavirus in Iran’

Ambassador Esmaeili also said that the U.S. is responsible for spread of the coronavirus in Iran and death of people.

He said that the U.S. sanctions have limited Iran’s access to medicine and medical equipment.

The total number of people diagnosed with the coronavirus in Iran has reached 58,226, of whom 3,603 have died and 22,011 recovered.

NA/PA