TEHRAN — Chief of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Hossein Salami has vowed to avenge the cold blood killing of Iran’s top anti-terror general Qassem Soleimani “in the field”.

“We will definitely avenge the blood of martyred Lieutenant General Haj Qassem Soleimani in the field,” Salami said in a meeting with Iraqi Minister of Defense Juma Inad Saadoun in Tehran on Sunday.

He said the revenge is not related to Iran’s legal proceedings of the killing through international bodies.

“We are certain that the children of the great Iraq will also avenge the blood of their respected general, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis,” he added.

On January 3, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered drone strikes that martyred General Soleimani, chief of the IRGC Quds Force, and al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), near the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.

In the early hours of January 8, the IRGC attacked Ain al-Assad airbase in western Iraq, where U.S. forces were stationed, as part of its promised “tough revenge” for the U.S. terror attack. Iran has asserted that taking revenge for the assassination is not over.

Salami said the two martyrs played the most significant role in the defeat of Daesh (ISIS) and the defeat of plots hatched by the Zionists and the Americans in the region.

“Martyr Soleimani began the defeat of Daesh from Iraq,” he said, stressing that the Americans were envious of such grandeur and decided to kill him.

The Iranian commander pointed to the expulsion of the Americans from Iraq, saying such a move, which is a demand of the Iraqi people, should be done through the Arab country’s parliament.

He also said preservation of Iraq’s integrity, unity and territorial integrity as well as cooperation between Tehran and Baghdad for the security of common borders is Iran’s policy.

“And having a great, united, free and independent Iraq from the will of the powers is our great wish,” he pointed out.

During the Sunday meeting, the Iraqi defense minister said the Islamic Republic has helped his country ever since Daesh emerged in Iraq.

“Our brothers in the Islamic Republic of Iran helped us in the fight against Daesh’s terrorism and they gave us whatever we needed at the time,” Inad Saadoun said. “We will not forget this.”

He also said his visit to Tehran aimed at expanding bilateral relations and ask for necessary military equipment from Iran.

Heading a high-ranking delegation of Iraqi military commanders, Inad Saadoun visited Tehran at the formal invitation of the Iranian defense minister.

On Saturday, he met his Iranian counterpart Brigadier General Amir Hatami. During the meeting, Hatami said Iraq now enjoys better security than in the past, adding that Iran will continue to support the political process and the stability and security of Iraq and its territorial integrity.

He also met with Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Bagheri and Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani.

MH/PA