TEHRAN- the Foreign Minister of Iran, insisted on Monday that the Islamic Republic’s diplomatic apparatus perceived it as part of its responsibility to legally investigate the U.S. assassination of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani.

Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian stated that Tehran has notified the U.S. of some of the legal measures it has conducted in this respect via the Swiss embassy in Tehran, which represents U.S. interests in Iran.

The chief diplomat broke the story during an event at the Foreign Ministry commemorating General Soleimani's third martyrdom anniversary falling on January 3.

The Foreign Ministry has established a special committee to collaborate with the Judiciary and the legal division of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps in order to investigate the murder of the senior commander, Amir Abdollahian pointed out.

He stated that during the previous four months, the committee had accelerated its efforts to pursue the case, "with some of those efforts being notified to the U.S. through the Swiss embassy."

Amir Abdollahian emphasized that the Foreign Ministry would take all necessary steps to bring the "American culprits and terrorists" accountable for the assassination of General Soleimani to justice.

In addition, he mentioned the "close collaboration" that exists in this regard between the Iranian and Iraqi judiciaries, stating that there have already been three rounds of conversations and that there would be more meetings in Tehran the following week.

The U.S. military assassinated Iran’s legendary commander and anti-terror hero General Soleimani and Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) deputy chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in a drone strike near Baghdad’s airport on January 3, 2020. Soleimani was to meet then Iraq’s prime minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi.

Amir Abdollahian noted that the Iraqi government has provided documents proving that General Soleimani was in the Arab country as a guest at the time of the U.S. strike.

General Soleimani, the lcommander of the IRGC Quds Force, along with top Iraqi commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, were both assassinated in a U.S. drone strike near Baghdad airport. The assassination took place under Donald Trump’s order.

Iran foreign policy prioritizes diplomatic defense

Major General Hossein Salami, the chief commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), stated on Monday that Iran's foreign policy is centered on the diplomatic defense of Iran's essential interests and the political attack on the enemy' foreign policy.

In a ceremony marking General Soleimani's third martyrdom anniversary, the IRGC chief remarked that the participation of commanders in diplomatic and political spheres proves that war and peace are intertwined in the modern world.

“Occasionally friendships and enmity coexist,” he added, stressing that “while a country's foreign policy apparatus seeks dialogue, tensions can overpower the atmosphere of interaction.”

General Salami underscored that the nature of Iranian diplomacy is rooted in Jihad and confrontation because diplomatic defense of the country's vital interests is of first importance, while political assassination of the enemy's foreign policy is of secondary note.

“Because we only have a few solid partners, we must adopt a diplomatic combat structure in the current global scenario, which resembles a world war,” he added.

Regarding General Soleimani's achievements, he stated that Martyr Soleimani's activities invalidated U.S. plans and ploys in the region; hence, what he did was the fortification of Iran's foreign policy.

Salami also urged the Islamic Republic's detractors to be wary of their actions in the face of Iran, since the Iranians may trace them wherever in the globe.