TEHRAN - The deputy chief of the judiciary declared on Wednesday that Iran’s judicial system has identified and indicted dozens of people in connection to the 2020 assassination of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani. 

“In this case, 97 suspects have been identified, and so far, arrest warrants and indictments have been issued for 73 Americans,” said Mohammad Mossadegh.

The official called the assassination of General Soleimani a blatant example of terrorism as the Iranian general was struck in Iraq while he was there as a representative of Iran and at the official invitation of the Iraqi government. 

“The martyrdom of General Soleimani is considered an act aimed to harm Iran's national security. The Iranian government and the judiciary are pursuing the case while receiving support from the Iranian people. The judiciary has so far sent 800 letters to legal authorities and collected 12,000 pieces of document in this regard,” the top judiciary official stated. 

Mossadegh said among the individuals Iran is trying to bring to trial is former U.S. President Donald Trump who is thought to be the mastermind behind the attack that killed General Soleimani.
 
“So far, separate requests for judicial cooperation have been sent to 9 countries suspected of involvement in the coordination of this terrorist attack, and several responses have been received in this regard,” added the deputy Judiciary chief. 
Soleimani, the commander of IRGC Quds Force, was assassinated during a U.S. drone attack near Baghdad’s international airport on January 3, 2020. 

General Soleimani was highly venerated in Iran and across the region as he was regarded as an anti-terror icon. The troops he spearheaded in Syria and Iraq in the 2010s managed to vanquish the Daesh terror group and ensure security for not only West Asia but countries across the world. 

Iran has repeatedly demanded justice for his assassination and asked for the punishment of the U.S. officials who ended up serving Daesh by killing the number one enemy of the terror group. 

MHA/PA