TEHRAN — Iran’s Deputy Judiciary Chief for International Affairs and Secretary of the High Council for Human Rights has aid Iraq must bring perpetrators of the assassination of Lt. Gen. Qassem Soleimani to book as soon as possible.

Kazem Gharibabadi made the remarks during a meeting with Iraqi Justice Minister Salar Abdul Sattar Muhammad in Tehran on Tuesday.

On January 3, 2020, the U.S. military conducted an air operation on the order of then-President Donald Trump to assassinate Gen. Soleimani. The cowardly terrorist act near Baghdad’s International Airport also martyred Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), and his companions.

Also in a Twitter message, Gharibabadi said he had met with the Iraqi justice minister during which he had stressed the need to identify and put on trial those who were involved in the assassination of the anti-terror legendary commander.

"In a meeting with the Iraqi Minister of Justice, I emphasized the need to accelerate the identification and trial of the perpetrators of the assassination of Martyr Soleimani and his associates, and to convene the first meeting of the Joint Investigation Committee as soon as possible," Gharibabadi tweeted. 

Gharibabadi added: "We also discussed bilateral legal and judicial interactions and human rights affairs and the need to address the problems of citizens."

Gharibabadi served as Iran's representative and ambassador to international organizations in Vienna, Austria. He has recently been appointed as secretary of Iran's High Council of Human Rights.