TEHRAN – Pablo Jofre Leal, a Chilean analyst, believes that Lieutenant General “Qassem Soleimani is one of those characters who never dies.”

“After all, his legacy is imperishable,” adds Jofre Leal, author of Palestine: Chronicle of the Zionist occupation (Palestina: crónica de la ocupación sionista).  

In an interview with the Tehran Times, the Chilean analyst describes General Soleimani as “a visionary man” who dedicated himself to “the cause of the freedom of the peoples.”

He says General Soleimani reminds one of Commander Ernesto Che Guevara’s famous quotation: “Remember that the highest rank that the human species can reach is to be a revolutionary.”

Following is the text of the interview:

Q: How do you see the character of General Soleimani considering that he has spent his entire life fighting against imperialism?

A: Qassem Soleimani is the type of human being that reminds us of Commander Ernesto Che Guevara’s famous quotation: "Remember that the highest rank that the human species can reach is to be a revolutionary." In the case of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, his life, his passing through his earthly journey, the attitude with which he faced the challenges of his society, in his time with all the challenges that this involves, was that of a true revolutionary.

Not only do I say this because of what his career in the Islamic Revolution in Iran means, but also because of the whole of his journey in his life with the positive influences that his ideas have left in his country and in the entire area of Western Asia, which is expanding throughout the planet. Soleimani was a brilliant military strategist, a bold politician, a servant of his people and of those who defend their sovereignty and those who seek complete self-determination. A visionary man dedicated to the cause of the freedom of the peoples.

Q: In your opinion, why did the Americans assassinate General Soleimani in Iraq?

A: They assassinated him because he represented the ideals that imperialism and its Zionist and Wahhabi partners hate the most: idealism, courage, honesty, bravery, dedication, sacrifice, international solidarity. The United States political and military regime decided to carry out a terrorist act that meant the death of Qassem Soleimani because they wanted to erase the footprints of a brilliant military strategist, an empathetic human being, endowed with an enormous attraction among resistance movements, helping him coordinate plans to fight the hegemonic powers.

Soleimani has turned into an example in the peoples' struggle against hegemony. They assassinated him because they believed that by truncating his life, they would generate a situation of forgetfulness, of leaving the struggle that animates the movements, organizations, and peoples that make up the axis of resistance. They were flatly wrong because Qassem Soleimani is one of those characters who never dies. After all, his legacy is imperishable.

By assassinating General Soleimani, former President Donald Trump and his inner circle dominated by Zionists sought to weaken Iran and the axis of resistance, continuing to subdue the reactionary Arab regimes, and above all strengthen the support of the Zionist lobby with this attack, facilitating the reelection of Trump. However, in the end, this did not happen to result in the frustration of the tycoon, stating to the Israeli media that he had expected more commitment from his allies in Israel. The precise words were “I cannot speak of this story. But I was very disappointed with the role that Israel played in that event. (...) People will find out about it at the right time."

Q: Two years have passed since the martyrdom of General Soleimani. How do you think the situation is for Americans in West Asia compared to two years ago?

A: The facts show that the United States is a declining power, that its hegemony, questioned in the region since the triumph of the Islamic revolution in Iran since February 1979, is losing more dominance every day, and this trend will continue to go on. In the last two years, Iranian political-military responses have expanded the field of action, especially the decision to send supertankers carrying energy resources to Venezuela and Syria.

The past two years have seen the intensification of actions by the resistance axis, which has been gaining many victories in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine, creating a scene where the drowning ship of Zionism can be seen. Invaders forcefully left Afghanistan in August 2021 and are also being forced to leave Iraq, seemingly fewer Western troops remain in the country every day. They have had to curb their aggressive momentum in the Persian Gulf where Iranian naval forces dominate the geostrategic region.

By assassinating General Soleimani, Trump and his inner circle sought to strengthen the support of the Zionist lobby and facilitate his reelection bid. The situation of the balance of forces every day since January 2020 to date is in favor of the resistance axis and above all in favor of the decisions made by the sovereign defense of Iran, which became a reference in the fight against the triad formed by imperialism, Zionism, and Wahhabism.

Q: Iran has declared that General Soleimani's main revenge is the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the region. How do you assess the withdrawal of U.S. troops from West Asia?

A: As a tremendously significant and historical fact, that demonstrates the fairness of the fight against these foreign powers. To point out that the main revenge to be carried out for the crime committed against Iran and the world of resistance with the assassinations of Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al Muhandis is to achieve the exit of U.S. troops from Western Asia - as well as their allies such as the British - This indicates the withdrawal from Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and finally from all those countries whose governments have served as allies, sheltering U.S. military and naval bases, allowing the presence of troops that usually serve to repress their populations who are subject to totalitarian monarchical regimes, also becoming a starting point for aggression against other countries.

Q: Please explain the influence of General Soleimani on Latin America?

A: The assassination of General Qassem Soleimani made it possible to visualize the enormous influence that his political and military leadership wielded, not only in Western Asia but also in the political movements in Latin America that oppose U.S. hegemony, such as Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. He had a popular political and military personality both in Iran and abroad and was a key figure for the positive influence the Persian nation has in the world today.

Qassem Soleimani’s opinion on the negative powers that influence our peoples reflects the objectives of liberation, which undoubtedly puts our peoples in the trench of the enemies of imperialism and its partners in the continent, where Zionism also has roots.

From media point of view, it is not by chance that after the assassination of Soleimani, the political, military, and media caste in Latin America, ordered by the United States, began a campaign applauding itself on the murder of this popular hero.

The ultra-reactionary newspaper, The Wall Street Journal, through its editorial field, said, “If the end of Soleimani is the beginning of a more muscular North American policy towards Tehran, it is good news for Latin America”, a sign of the hopes they had for diminishing Soleimani’s values and importance in Latin America and Soleimani's referential role in the peoples' struggle for their liberation.

Q: What were the reactions of Latin American people to the assassination of General Soleimani?

Among Latin Americans, many movements and organizations believe in the struggle of the people for their freedom. Among those who see the United States and its allies as the enemies of their peoples, the death of Qassem Soleimani marked a fundamental and crucial reference point, losing a distinguished figure that had not been seen since the assassination of Commander Ernesto Che Guevara. Soleimani has turned into an example, in the peoples' struggle against hegemony. His loss was a tragedy without doubt, but also the starting point of the triumph over the hegemonic powers, and the criminal Triad made up of imperialism and its fighting dogs such as Zionism and Wahhabism.

In this framework, undoubtedly the murder of Soleimani was a moment of deep sadness, pain, and anguish. In general, our struggles tend to have moments of setbacks in the struggle for defeating those who want to make the world their field of financial-political operations and aim for military dominance, subjugation, and colonization. The initial reaction of pain has transformed over time into an example to follow, a catalyst, a vital point of reference, and a sign of triumph.

Q: Do you think that U.S. power has been increasing or decreasing in recent years?

A: Without a doubt, it has been decreasing and the examples are evident:

1. Its withdrawal from Afghanistan.

2. Its clear and measurable decline in Iraq and its loss of influence even on those groups that used to be guided by Washington's aggressive policies.

3. Their direct and indirect defeats in the aggression against Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine, at the hands of increasingly powerful resistance forces.

4. The alteration of their support for alliances against Iran and Russia in Western Asia, which makes their impunity for conducting attacks in the region fade away.

5. The impossibility of being able to deter Iran's decisions to support the resistance movements in Western Asia, and its efforts to effectively support nations like Venezuela, thousands of kilometers from its border.

6. The null participation of Washington in resolving regional conflicts where other powers participate such as Iran and Russia, for example, in the South Caucasus, in the negotiations for the achievement of peace in Syria, or the JCPOA where Iran has determined the working agenda.

7. The sustained and concrete advance of regional and world powers of the Russian Federation and China and the increasingly relevant role of Iran in what was the domain of imperialism and its allies.