TEHRAN – The deputy chief of the IRGC Quds Force has said a harsh revenge awaits those behind the assassination of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Iraq on January 3 of this year.

Talking to reporters on Friday, Brigadier General Mohammad Hejazi said major funerals for martyrs Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and the retaliatory missile attack on the U.S. military base of Ain al-Assad were the two slaps that the U.S. has received in the face from Iran.

“Those are only slaps, while the harsh revenge will be taken,” Hejazi said, according to Tasnim.

He also warned those who ordered and perpetrated the assassination attack, saying the Islamic Republic decides how and when to take revenge based on the situation.

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

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 vowed to target whoever had a role in the cowardly assassination of General Soleimani. 

“This is a serious message,” IRGC Chief Major General Hossein Salami said back in September.

In remarks on December 16, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said revenge for the assassination is certain and will be exacted at the right time.

Ayatollah Khamenei referred to the great funerals that were held for the two commanders, saying the “unforgettable” ceremonies “surprised the arrogant [powers’] soft war generals and served as a first severe slap in the face of the Americans.”

Ayatollah Khamenei said a tougher slap will still await the arrogant powers by defeating them in the software sector through the efforts of revolutionary youth and faithful elite, and by expelling the U.S. forces from the region through the joint efforts of countries that are part of the resistance front.

“Of course, this harsh slap will be separate from the revenge that will be exacted on those who ordered and perpetrated General Soleimani's killing, and this revenge is certain [and will be taken] at the [earliest] possible time,” he added.

Ayatollah Khamenei said General Soleimani’s “historic” martyrdom turned him not only into a national hero for Iranians, but also a hero for the entire Muslim community.

MH/PA