TEHRAN – In a meeting on Saturday with the family of General Qassem Soleimani, the noted commander of the IRGC’s Quds Force, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei rejected speculations that the legacy of the slain general was fading away, underlining that the resistance movement General Soleimani helped establish is up and running.

Ayatollah Khamenei received members of the family of General Soleimani on the second anniversary of his martyrdom. The general was assassinated by the U.S. on January 3, 2020 while on a trip to Baghdad. His longtime comrade Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy head of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), was also martyred in the U.S. drone strike.

His assassination sent shockwaves around the world, bringing Iran and the U.S. closer to an all-out war. In response to the U.S. brazen move, Iran launched retaliatory missile strikes against the Ain al-Asad base, which was housing American troops. The strike resulted in dozens of American servicemen sustaining brain injuries, a move that was unprecedented since World War II in terms of humiliating the United States. The Trump administration, which carried out the Baghdad drone strike, swallowed the Iranian retaliation and refrained from further escalating the situation. 

Many pundits believe that Iran’s massive deterrent capabilities prevented the U.S. from going too far in its aggression against Iran. Besides, American strategists, rubbing their hands with glee over the assassination of the chief architect of the Axis of Resistance in the region, assumed that the Axis would wane after General Soleimani.

Two years after the martyrdom of the most renowned Iranian general, their assumption proved wishful thinking. During his Saturday meeting with the family of General Qassem Soleimani, the Leader pointedly said the legacy of the General is more thriving than ever. 

“The enemies surmised that with the martyrdom of Soleimani, Abu Mahdi and their companions, everything will be over. But today due to the blessing of our dear General Soleimani’s blood, the U.S has fled Afghanistan. In Iraq, it is forced to pretend to withdraw and announce an advisory role without a military presence, something that [our] Iraqi brothers should pursue vigilantly. In Yemen, the Resistance front is advancing. In Syria, the enemy has been bogged down with no hope for the future,” the Leader stated.

Ayatollah Khamenei summed up the situation as follows: “On the whole, the Resistance and anti-imperial movement in the region is now more thriving, vibrant, and promising than two years ago.”

The Leader also pointed to the popularity General Soleimani gained after his martyrdom in Iran and the broader Muslim world. “Tens of millions of Iranians attending General Soleimani’s funeral shows he was and is the most popular figure in the nation. Also, the increasing influence of his name in the world of Islam proves dear Soleimani has been one of the most popular figures in the world of Islam too,” he said, according to a readout published by the khamenei.ir. 

Ayatollah Khamenei showered the late general with praise, describing him as “a manifestation of endeavor and untiring, astonishing work.”

“The heroic general of Iran had both courage and rationality in all affairs. While he knew precisely the enemies and their tools, he would enter the battlefield and carry out amazing tasks without a bit of fear,” the Leader said.

Ayatollah Khamenei described General Soleimani as a never-dying reality. “Martyr Soleimani is an eternal reality that will live on forever. His assassins - including Trump and the like - will go down in history’s garbage bin, but of course, after receiving retribution in this world for the crime they committed,” the Leader pointed out.