A Pakistani national with what FBI Director Christopher Wray called “close ties to Iran” was arrested and charged with orchestrating a scheme to reportedly <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pakistani-iran-murder-plot-u-s-officials/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">assassinate</a> former President Trump as well as other government officials.
According to court documents, in April 2024, Asif Merchant, 46, who revealed he has a wife and children in both Iran and Pakistan, came to the U.S. after spending time in Iran. He contacted someone about his alleged scheme; that person, who became a confidential source (CS), then contacted the FBI. In early June in New York, Merchant met the CS and outlined his alleged plot to commit a series of assassinations in the U.S.
<a href="http://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1722714742764000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1XzmEsRwzti1RFNuISwYgd">WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘AM I RACIST?’ — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI</a>
“Merchant explained that his plot involved multiple criminal schemes: (1) stealing documents or USB drives from a target’s home; (2) planning a protest; and (3) killing a politician or government official,” the Department of Justice <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/pakistani-national-ties-iran-charged-connection-foiled-plot-assassinate-politician-or-us" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated.</a> &#8220;Merchant stated that the assassination would occur after he left the United States and he would communicate with the CS from overseas using code words. The CS asked whether Merchant had spoken to the unidentified ‘party’ back home with whom Merchant was working. Merchant responded that he had and that the party back home told him to ‘finalize’ the plan and leave the United States.”
On June 21, Merchant met with undercover U.S. law enforcement officers in New York, giving them $5,000 in advance.
“After Merchant paid the $5,000 to the UCs, one of the UCs stated, ‘now we’re bonded,’ to which Merchant responded ‘yes.’ The UC then stated ‘Now we know we’re going forward. We’re doing this,’ to which Merchant responded ‘Yes, absolutely,’” the DOJ stated.
Merchant was arrested on July 12, 2024, the day he planned to leave the country.
An assassination attempt against former President Trump occurred on July 13. No evidence has yet been offered to connect that event with Merchant.

Donald Trump Addresses National Association Of Black Journalists Convention

Pakistani With ‘Close Ties To Iran’ Charged In Scheme To Assassinate Trump, Others

assassination

Crime

Donald Trump

Iran

Pakistan

Qassem Soleimani

U.S.

The FBI is on the hunt for an Iranian intelligence operative who has been allegedly plotting to assassinate current and former U.S. government officials, including Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state under former President Donald Trump.
Last week, the Bureau’s Miami field office <a href="https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/terrorinfo/majid-dastjani-farahani" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued</a> a public alert as it sought information on Majid Dastjani Farahani, who is suspected of being a member of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security, Semafor <a href="https://www.semafor.com/article/03/04/2024/fbi-hunts-for-suspected-iranian-assassin-targeting-trump-era-officials" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The FBI warned of Farahani, 42, in a Most Wanted notice on Friday, saying that he speaks Farsi, French, Spanish, and English and will often move between Iran and Venezuela.
According to the FBI, Farahani was recruiting “individuals for various operations in the United States, to include lethal targeting of current and former United States Government officials” as part of a revenge operation for the U.S. taking out Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani in 2020 under Trump and Pompeo.
<div id="attachment_705411" style="width: 610px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-705411" class=" wp-image-705411" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/Screen-Shot-2024-03-04-at-4.04.14-PM-300x216.png" alt="" width="600" height="432" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/Screen-Shot-2024-03-04-at-4.04.14-PM-300x216.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/Screen-Shot-2024-03-04-at-4.04.14-PM-798x576.png 798w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/Screen-Shot-2024-03-04-at-4.04.14-PM-768x554.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/Screen-Shot-2024-03-04-at-4.04.14-PM-1536x1108.png 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/Screen-Shot-2024-03-04-at-4.04.14-PM.png 1616w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" />MAJID DASTJANI FARAHANI/FBI Wanted Poster</div>
Semafor reported that U.S. officials said Pompeo and former special envoy for Iran Brian Hook were given 24-hour security after the FBI warned of Farahani. In 2022, the Department of Justice indicted members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for an alleged plot to assassinate former National Security Advisor John Bolton, who also served under Trump.
Farahani is also accused of recruiting people to run “surveillance activities focused on religious sites, businesses, and other facilities in the United States.”
Soleimani was killed in a U.S. drone strike ordered by Trump in January 2020. The brutal Iranian general had been responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American troops in Iraq, and the U.S. State Department <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/state-dept-iranian-general-killed-in-u-s-strike-responsible-for-17-of-american-deaths-in-iraq" target="_blank" rel="noopener">says</a> Soleimani was directly behind 17% of all U.S. personnel deaths during the Iraq War.
Shortly after Soleimani’s death, the top Iranian general and other officials <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/top-iranian-general-revenge-for-soleimani-death-to-happen-within-u-s-no-one-will-forget-what-we-do" target="_blank" rel="noopener">vowed</a> that Iran would get <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/iran-vows-revenge-for-general-killed-by-u-s-says-it-will-hit-those-responsible" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revenge</a> on the U.S. Iran’s volatility raised concerns again when Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists launched an attack on Israel on October 7, killing over 1,200 and taking hundreds hostage into the Gaza Strip. The IRGC <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/irans-guard-corps-hamas-oct-7-attack-was-revenge-for-killing-of-soleimani-in-2020/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> two months after the terrorist attack on Israel that it was “one of the revenges” for the killing of Soleimani.
While Hamas denied it had the same reason as the IRGC for its 10/7 atrocities, Iran’s threats, and thirst for bloodshed following the death of its beloved general were heard clearly. U.S. forces were even <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/multiple-u-s-soldiers-killed-dozens-injured-by-iranian-backed-terrorists-in-middle-east" target="_blank" rel="noopener">attacked</a> by Iranian-backed terrorists in January, and three American soldiers were <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-on-u-s-soldiers-killed-tragic-consequence-of-joe-bidens-weakness-and-surrender" target="_blank" rel="noopener">killed</a>.
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The Iranian-backed Houthis have also been causing chaos in the Red Sea and the Middle East, launching attacks on shipping vessels and Israeli forces. The U.S. has responded to the ongoing terrorist actions with limited strikes inside Yemen and a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-drone-strike-smokes-multiple-iranian-backed-terrorist-leaders-reports" target="_blank" rel="noopener">drone strike</a> that killed multiple terrorist leaders in Baghdad, Iraq, last month.

FBI Looking For Iranian Spy Who Is Allegedly Plotting Assassinations Of Trump Admin Officials

Mike Pompeo

Spying

Explosions at a memorial ceremony for a top Iranian general killed more than 100 people and injured more than a hundred others, according to Iran state media.
Two blasts occurred at a memorial service marking the fourth anniversary of the death of General Qassem Soleimani, the former head of the Quds Force of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, according to The <a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-soleimani-explosion-kerman-2524cfed1d040370bf98000e2b53ad5a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Associated Press</a>. The general died in January 2020 in a U.S. drone strike.
The number of dead is expected to climb as many of the over 170 wounded sustained critical injuries. Some were wounded by the blasts, and others were injured in the chaotic scene that followed as people fled the area.
The blasts took place about 15 minutes apart at Soleimani’s gravesite in the Iranian city of Kerman, located about 500 miles southeast of Tehran. The deputy governor of Kerman, Soleimani’s hometown, told Iran state media that the blasts were from a “terrorist attack,” according to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/01/03/iran-qasem-soleimani-explosion-kerman/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Washington Post</a>. No group has claimed responsibility for the incident.
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Videos surfaced online shortly after the explosions showing people fleeing the area. Prior to the incident, Iran state media showed footage of a procession to honor Soleimani of thousands of people.
The blasts come amid heightened tensions in the Middle East as Israel wages war against the terrorist group Hamas and Iran’s proxies threaten Western and international interests across the region, according to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/03/middleeast/iran-explosions-soleimani-ceremony-intl/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a>. Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon threatens Israel’s north, while the Iran-backed Houthis threaten international trade through the Red Sea from the south of Yemen. Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria have launched missile attacks on U.S. and Israeli military installations.
Soleimani was head of the Quds Force, an elite military group that handled Iran’s operations overseas when he was killed by a U.S. airstrike in Iraq ordered by former President Donald Trump. The U.S. recognizes the Quds Force as a terrorist organization. Soleimani and his troops were “responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American and coalition service members and the wounding of thousands more,” according to the <a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/2049534/statement-by-the-department-of-defense/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pentagon</a>.

Qasem Soleimani

Report: At Least 70 Dead In ‘Terrorist Attack’ In Iran

Terrorism

World

Iran and Hamas are suddenly arguing with each other, as Iran reportedly claimed that Hamas’ brutal massacre of 1200 Israelis on October 7 was a response to the 2020 assassination of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Qassem Soleimani by the United States, prompting Hamas to retort that the reason for the murderous assault was “the dangers that threaten al-Aqsa Mosque.”
According to Al Jazeera, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the repressive military right arm of the Iranian theocratic government which was labeled a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) by the U.S. State Department in 2019, <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-12-27/ty-article-live/u-s-israel-discuss-policy-for-day-after-conflict-idf-chief-war-will-last-many-months/0000018c-a957-d7f7-a7ce-f97fd1670000?liveBlogItemId=1849215675&amp;htm_source=site&amp;htm_medium=button&amp;htm_campaign=live_blog_item#1849215675">issued a statement</a> saying, “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood was one of the responses to the assassination of Soleimani.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
عاجل | الحرس الثوري الإيراني: عملية طوفان الأقصى كانت إحدى الردود على اغتيال قاسم سليماني
&mdash; الجزيرة &#8211; عاجل (@AJABreaking) <a href="https://twitter.com/AJABreaking/status/1739917815757357395?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Referring to the killing of Razi Mousavi, a brigadier general with the IRGC who was responsible for coordinating military action by Syria and Iran, on Monday in Damascus, the IRGC added, “The assassination of one of our advisors will not hinder the ongoing struggle against Zionist arrogance. We are well aware of the reasons for the assassination and will respond to it directly and indirectly through the resistance axis. Assassination is a terrorist act, and the response will be resolute at the right time and place.”
&#8220;Hamas denies the validity of the remarks given by the spokesperson of the Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Brigadier General Ramadan Sharif, regarding the operation of the Flood of al-Aqsa and its motives,” Hamas responded, according to the <a href="https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-779705">Jerusalem Post</a>. &#8220;We have repeatedly confirmed the motives and reasons for the operation of the Flood of al-Aqsa, and foremost are the dangers that threaten al-Aqsa Mosque.”
Palestinian leadership, whether the Palestinian Authority or Hamas, repeatedly uses the supposed threat to the Al-Aqsa mosque as an excuse to launch attacks against Israel. The Second Intifada, which lasted from 2000-2005 and in which, according to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Institute_for_Counter-Terrorism">International Institute for Counter-Terrorism</a>, 1,137 Israelis were murdered, was referred to by Palestinians as the al Aqsa intifada.
Between May 2001 and May 2002, the following massacres occurred: five Israelis murdered by a suicide bomber at the HaSharon Mall in May 2001; 21 Israelis murdered by a suicide bomber at the Dolphinarium Discotheque in June 2001; 15 Israelis murdered by a suicide bomber at Sbarro’s Pizza in August 2001, including six children and a 31-year-old woman who was the only child of her parents and was five months pregnant; 11 Israelis murdered in a bus bombing on Ben Yehuda Street in Jerusalem on December 1, 2001; 12 more Israelis murdered the very next day in a Haifa suicide bombing; 11 more Israelis murdered in a bus attack 10 days later in Immanuel; six Israelis murdered in an attack at a bas-mitzvah in January 2002; 11 more Jews killed in an attack on a yeshiva in March 2002, including a five-month-old child; 11 Jews murdered in a bombing at café Moment in March 2002; 30 Israelis killed as they celebrated Passover in Netanya on March 27, 2002; 16 Israelis murdered in a suicide bombing four days later at the Matzah restaurant, and 16 Israelis murdered in Rishon LeZion in May 2002.
Yet Muslims are allowed free access to the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism where the two Biblical Temples stood and where al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock stand today. It is the Jews who must be guarded by Israeli soldiers when they visit the Temple Mount, often <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/israel-to-close-temple-mount-to-jews-until-further-notice-due-to-muslim-rioting">denied</a> access because of fear of Muslim rioting.
For a primer on the centrality of the Temple Mount for Jews, see <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-temple-mount-is-judaisms-holiest-site-and-it-always-has-been-heres-everything-you-need-to-know">here</a>.

IRAN-MIDEAST-PALESTINIAN-KHAMENEI-HANIYA

Iran And Hamas Feud Over What Fueled Oct. 7 Massacre Of Israelis

Hamas

Israel

October 7

An aid worker and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tennessee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tennessee</a> native was murdered in the streets of Baghdad, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/iraq" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Iraq</a>, in front of his family earlier this week.
Stephen Troell, a 45-year-old husband and father of four, was killed Monday night by a group of terrorists while driving in Iraq&#8217;s capital city with his wife and one of his children. Troell&#8217;s car was <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/iraq-american-aid-worker-murdered-baghdad/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> cut off by another car before assailants in a third vehicle shot and killed him. His wife and child were unharmed in the attack, according to police.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
قديش حبينا الزيارة على بغداد!!! كنز العراق هو الشعب. <a href="https://t.co/ehBx3zPdDW">pic.twitter.com/ehBx3zPdDW</a>
&mdash; Stephen Troell (@stephentroell) <a href="https://twitter.com/stephentroell/status/1006159467434659840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Iraqi authorities initially believed the shooting was a part of a failed kidnapping attempt on Troell, but later ruled that theory out, The Associated Press reported. A group unknown to officials claimed responsibility for the killing, saying it was retaliation for a 2020 U.S. airstrike in Baghdad that killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani and another military commander.
Troell taught English at a language center in one of Baghdad’s dilapidated neighborhoods where he also served. The aid worker&#8217;s <a href="https://twitter.com/stephentroell" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter feed</a> was filled with photos of his family, statements of his devotion to God, and posts about his desire to reach out to those he felt he&#8217;d been called to serve in the Middle East.
In 2017, 16 years after radical Islamic terrorists killed thousands of Americans on September 11, 2001, Troell <a href="https://twitter.com/stephentroell/status/907277549738381312" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a>, &#8220;It was 16 years ago today that my life forever changed and God began to take me on a wonderful journey to learn to love my &#8216;enemies.'&#8221;
Clarence Sexton, president and founder of the The Crown College where Troell <a href="https://www.wate.com/news/tennessee/tennessee-native-identified-as-teacher-killed-in-baghdad/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">graduated</a> around 20 years ago, posted a statement from Troell’s family Wednesday after reports of his death.
“On Monday, November 7, 2022, Stephen Troell met his Savior face to face. Jocelyn, the girls, and little Stephen are currently safe and will return to the U.S. in the next few days,” the statement read.
“Stephen often quoted the words of two Moravian young men who gave their lives for the cause. We echo them again: &#8216;May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering,'&#8221; the statement concluded.
Sexton directed people to a donation page for the family set up by The Crown College.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Stephen Troell was a great man. He gave his life to helping the Iraqi people. He leaves a wife and four beautiful children. If you would like to help his family, you may make your tax-deductible donation at <a href="https://t.co/P1p2aVVRdF">https://t.co/P1p2aVVRdF</a> for the Stephen Troell Family. <a href="https://t.co/CrPwDe5lez">pic.twitter.com/CrPwDe5lez</a>
&mdash; Clarence Sexton (@ClarenceSexton) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClarenceSexton/status/1590349971626205184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Baghdad

American Aid Worker Gunned Down In Front Of His Family In Iraq

Christian

Iraq

Religion

Terrorists

A statue that was erected to honor Qassem Soleimani, the former commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force who was killed by U.S. forces in 2020, was torched hours after it was unveiled last week in Iran.
&#8220;The six-meter high statue was set on fire hours after its official unveiling in Shahrekord, near Esfahan, where it was installed to commemorate the commander, who was killed by a US drone in Baghdad two years ago,&#8221; The Telegraph <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/01/06/statue-slain-iranian-commander-qassim-soleimani-set-fire-hours/">reported</a>. &#8220;The perpetrators were unknown, said Mohammad Ali Nekonam, a provincial representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, calling it a &#8216;brazen act&#8217; of desecration.&#8221;
Senior Islamic cleric Mohammad Ali Nekounam said “this treacherous crime was carried out in darkness, just like the other crime committed at night at Baghdad airport.”
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ResistanceUnits?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ResistanceUnits</a> in the city of Shahrekord (population over 200K) in central <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Iran</a> torched the statue of terror master Qassem <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Soleimani?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Soleimani</a> this evening, only hours after it was unveiled in the first square of the city. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IranProtests?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IranProtests</a> continue. <a href="https://t.co/hh5VQ3Qj4Y">pic.twitter.com/hh5VQ3Qj4Y</a>
&mdash; Alireza Jafarzadeh (@A_Jafarzadeh) <a href="https://twitter.com/A_Jafarzadeh/status/1478875373408595968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 5, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Solemani was killed in a drone strike in January 2020 at Baghdad International Airport that was authorized by former President Donald Trump.
The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-the-just-and-proper-strike-of-mastermind-iranian-jihadist-qassem-soleimani">reported</a>:
<blockquote>It is difficult to overstate the geopolitical and strategic ramifications of Soleimani’s long-overdue demise. Aside from Osama bin Laden himself, no leading international jihadist thug has had more American blood on his hands than the decades-long veteran commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Qods Force (IRGC-QF) — a U.S.-designated <a href="https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2049534/statement-by-the-department-of-defense/">Foreign Terrorist Organization</a> and umbrella organization overseeing so much regional and global evil, from Iraq to Yemen to <a href="https://ctc.usma.edu/irans-unwavering-support-to-assads-syria/">Syria</a> to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-defund-lebanon-and-do-it-yesterday">Lebanon</a> to Gaza to <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/20190109-eu-sanctions-iran-over-assassinations-peoples-mujahedeen-france-bomb-plot">European</a> capitals to our very own <a href="https://mosaicmagazine.com/response/jewish-world/2019/08/the-men-responsible-for-the-amia-bombing-are-known-and-still-at-large/">western</a><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/man-in-iran-backed-plot-to-kill-saudi-ambassador-gets-25-years/2013/05/30/0435e7a2-c952-11e2-8da7-d274bc611a47_story.html">hemisphere</a>. From <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-defund-lebanon-and-do-it-yesterday">Hezbollah</a> to Hamas to Palestinian Islamic Jihad to Yemeni <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/houthis-explain-death-to-america-slogan-reveal-what-will-bring-them-to-peace-talks">Houthi rebels</a> to (contra Iranian <a href="https://twitter.com/JZarif/status/1212946202280579073">propaganda</a>) <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/19/us/politics/us-iran.html">al-Qaeda itself</a>, the extraterritorial tentacles of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-iranian-revolution-forty-years-old-stand-josh-hammer">inherently jihadist</a> Iranian regime are simply ubiquitous.
No nation on Earth funds, sponsors, and exports more genocidal jihad than the Islamic Republic of Iran. And no one has been more responsible for that over the past 20-plus years than Qassem Soleimani. The Hudson Institute’s Michael Doran is thus correct when he <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/03/opinion/trump-iran-suleimani-assassination-baghdad.html">writes</a> today that, “[t]he killings of Osama bin Laden and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leaders of al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, were certainly meaningful, but they were also largely symbolic.” By contrast, Doran continues, “[t]aking out the architect of the Islamic Republic’s decades-long active campaign of violence against the United States and its allies, especially Israel, represents a tectonic shift in Middle Eastern politics.”</blockquote>
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Brigadier General Esmail Ghaani, who has since taken over for Solemani, vowed in remarks last week that Iran will seek revenge for Soleimani&#8217;s death and that it will happen &#8220;within&#8221; the U.S.
Ghaani <a href="https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2022/01/07/2639872/ground-for-hard-revenge-to-be-set-from-within-us-irgc-quds-force-commander">said</a>, “We will prepare ground for the hard revenge against the US from within their homes, as we do not need to be present as supervisors everywhere, wherever is necessary we take revenge against Americans by the help of people on their side and within their own homes without our presence.”
Al-Monitor <a href="https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/01/soleimanis-replacement-vows-revenge-his-killing">reported</a>:
<blockquote>Speaking at an event commemorating the two-year anniversary of Soleimani’s assassination on Jan. 3, 2020, by a US drone strike ordered by former President Donald Trump, Ghaani said, “We will get revenge that you will not forget for the rest of your life.” Talking about Trump and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who advocated for the strike behind the scenes, Ghaani said, “All of the criminals who are on the scene, from the criminal US president to all of those behind the crime of the assassination of Soleimani, are under our magnifying glass.”
Ghaani added, “We do not have the style of [US] criminals, with divine power; we have our own style of revenge.”</blockquote>
The news comes as the Biden administration tries to get Iran to reenter the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which critics argue would not stop Iran from being able to obtain a nuclear weapon.
While the Biden administration tries to get a deal completed, a spokesperson for Iran’s military stated in late November that they will not give up their pursuit of wiping Israel off the face of the earth.
“We will not back off from the annihilation of Israel, even one millimeter,” Brig.-Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, spokesman for the Islamic Republic of Iran’s armed forces, <a href="https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/iranian-brig-gen-urges-destruction-of-israel-prior-to-nuke-talks-687248">told</a> the Iranian Students News Agency. “We want to destroy Zionism in the world.”

Statue Of Slain Iranian Commander Qassem Soleimani Torched Hours After It Is Unveiled In City Square

Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Brigadier General Esmail Ghaani, commander of of Iran’s elite Quds Force, threatened this week that the revenge Iran will seek for the death of Qassem Soleimani, the former commander of the IRGC&#8217;s Quds Force, will happen &#8220;within&#8221; the United States.
Ghaani <a href="https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2022/01/07/2639872/ground-for-hard-revenge-to-be-set-from-within-us-irgc-quds-force-commander">said</a>, &#8220;We will prepare ground for the hard revenge against the US from within their homes, as we do not need to be present as supervisors everywhere, wherever is necessary we take revenge against Americans by the help of people on their side and within their own homes without our presence.&#8221;
Al-Monitor <a href="https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/01/soleimanis-replacement-vows-revenge-his-killing">reported</a>:
<blockquote>Speaking at an event commemorating the two-year anniversary of Soleimani&#8217;s assassination on Jan. 3, 2020, by a US drone strike ordered by former President Donald Trump, Ghaani said, “We will get revenge that you will not forget for the rest of your life.” Talking about Trump and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who advocated for the strike behind the scenes, Ghaani said, “All of the criminals who are on the scene, from the criminal US president to all of those behind the crime of the assassination of Soleimani, are under our magnifying glass.”
Ghaani added, “We do not have the style of [US] criminals, with divine power; we have our own style of revenge.”</blockquote>
The news comes as the Biden administration tries to get Iran to reenter the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which critics argue would not stop Iran from being able to obtain a nuclear weapon.
While the Biden administration tries to get a deal completed, a spokesperson for Iran’s military stated in late November that they will not give up their pursuit of wiping Israel off the face of the earth.
“We will not back off from the annihilation of Israel, even one millimeter,” Brig.-Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, spokesman for the Islamic Republic of Iran’s armed forces, <a href="https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/iranian-brig-gen-urges-destruction-of-israel-prior-to-nuke-talks-687248">told</a> the Iranian Students News Agency. “We want to destroy Zionism in the world.”
The Jerusalem Post added:
<blockquote>The Iranian general also blasted Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates for normalizing diplomatic relations with Israel, terming the diplomacy “intolerable” for Iran’s clerical regime. “Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE and other countries considered as Muslims, for us they part of the Zionist regime and this is very important,” said Shekarchi.</blockquote>
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-orders-preparations-in-case-he-suffers-another-foreign-policy-disaster-with-irans-nuclear-program">said</a> last month that Democrat President Joe Biden was preparing to deal with Iran&#8217;s nuclear program in case talks with Iran fail.
“President Biden is committed to ensuring Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon and believes diplomacy, in coordination with allies and regional partners, is the best path to achieve that goal,” she claimed. “We believe a diplomatic resolution offers the best path to avoiding a nuclear crisis. However, given the ongoing advances in Iran’s nuclear program, the President has asked his team to be prepared in the event that diplomacy fails and we must turn to other options, and that requires preparations.”
“If diplomacy cannot get on track soon, and if Iran’s nuclear program continues to accelerate, then we will have no choice but to take additional measures to further restrict Iran’s revenue-producing sectors,” she continued, later adding: “And this is part of our extended outreach to our partners around the world to ensure that we were preparing for a range of contingencies.”
“What I can tell you is that we have presented a diplomatic path forward; that path is still open,” she concluded. “But based on the outcome of the last round of talks and the ongoing advancements in Iran’s nuclear facilities, we are laying the path for — the groundwork for another path entirely. So, it’s just meant to be preparations.”
This report has been updated to include additional information.

Newly appointed commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Forces, Ismail Qaani

Top Iranian General: Revenge For Soleimani Death To Happen ‘Within’ U.S., No One Will Forget What We Do

On Tuesday, video was captured of American gunfire destroying two Iranian drones loaded with explosives that were targeting the U.S. Ain al-Asad airbase west of Baghdad. The day before, two armed drones targeting a building hosting U.S. advisers were shot down; one of them was painted with the message, “Soleimani&#8217;s revenge.”
<div>
The drones were shot down by the missile defense system known as the C-RAM &#8212; the Centurion Counter-Rocket, Artillery and Mortar defense system &#8212; which uses the M61 Vulcan 20mm cannon machine gun, capable of firing up to 4,500 rounds per minute. “It has a far shorter range than the Iron Dome, the system Israel uses to shoot down rockets fired by Hamas in Gaza, and is less effective but makes itself known with a piercing drill sound when in use. The Iron Dome shoots down munitions in excess of 40 miles, whereas C-RAM shoots down targets within 1-5 nautical miles,” <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10369001/Video-captures-Iranian-suicide-drones-destroyed-machine-gunfire-Baghdad-airport-attack.html">The Daily Mail</a> noted.
</div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
BREAKING 
Footage taken by US defensive systems, C-RAM at Ain Al Asad Air Base shows the moment that “two suicide drones” were engaged &amp; shot down <a href="https://t.co/b8T5oW6NVU">pic.twitter.com/b8T5oW6NVU</a>
&mdash; Nafiseh Kohnavard (@nafisehkBBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/nafisehkBBC/status/1478399617385607178?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 4, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
On January 3, 2020, at the direction of former President Trump, the U.S. assassinated Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force leader Qassem Soleimani. Trump and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo revealed details about the terrorist attack that Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force leader Qassem Soleimani had planned against the United States prior to Trump authorizing the drone strike that killed Soleimani.
Trump said on Fox News, “I can reveal that I believe it probably would’ve been four embassies.” Pompeo added at a press briefing: &#8220;We had specific information on an imminent threat, and those threats included attacks on U.S. embassies. Period. Full stop.” He added that “it was very clear” that “Qassem Soleimani himself was plotting a broad, large-scale attack against American interests. And those attacks were imminent. &#8230; American facilities, including American embassies, military bases. American facilities throughout the region.”
The U.S. State Department released a fact sheet on Soleimani which stated:
<ul>
<li>Since 1998, Qassem Soleimani commanded Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Qods Force (IRGC-QF), the terror arm of the Iranian regime. The IRGC-QF is tasked with planning and executing terror and military operations outside Iran’s borders. Under Soleimani’s command, the IRGC-QF has fueled destabilizing sectarian conflicts throughout the Middle East for decades.</li>
<li>The IRGC-QF continues to wage an illegal campaign of terrorism, assassinations, and violence. At Soleimani’s direction and with his oversight and guidance, the IRGC-QF has planned and conducted terrorist attacks across six continents and inside the United States.</li>
<li>The United States designated IRGC-QF a Foreign Terrorist Organization for its activities, and the United States designated Soleimani as a Specially-Designated Global Terrorist.</li>
<li>As the leader of the IRGC-QF, Qassem Soleimani was directly responsible for arming, funding, and training proxy groups in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Bahrain, Yemen, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. Operations carried out by these proxy groups have led to the death and suffering of tens of thousands, including many hundreds of Americans. These proxies routinely target and kill civilians, intensify sectarian conflicts, and prolong the suffering of innocent men, women, and children.</li>
<li>Soleimani personally directed and provided arms to militias in Iraq for more than a decade. These militias undermine the sovereignty of the Iraqi state, threaten the legitimacy of Iraq’s security forces, and target American citizens and forces. With Soleimani’s support and lethal assistance, proxies of the IRGC-QF targeted and killed over 600 Americans between 2003 and 2011.</li>
<li>We can confirm that in the past several days, General Soleimani had been traveling in the Middle East coordinating further imminent large-scale attacks against U.S. diplomats and service members. These threats were highly credible and the intelligence is sound. General Soleimani’s travel also violated the ban imposed by the United Nations Security Council.</li>
<li>Recent orders given by General Soleimani dramatically escalated Iran’s campaign of violence and terrorism against Americans and American interests in the Middle East. He orchestrated a series of attacks against American forces in Iraq in the past several months, culminating in the rocket attack on December 27, 2019, which resulted in the death of an American citizen, wounded four American service members, and threatened the lives of many more American personnel. General Soleimani also ordered the assault on the American Embassy in Baghdad. General Soleimani continued to command Iranian supported proxies in Iraq, which posed an escalating threat to the lives of Americans.</li>
<li>For his actions, Soleimani had been designated and sanctioned by the United Nations, European Union, and United States and is banned from international travel by United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231. In defiance of United Nations Security Council resolutions, however, Soleimani continued to travel to Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon directing and coordinating lethal actions that pose a threat to regional peace and security.</li>
<li>Some key international and United States designations of Soleimani include:
<ul>
<li>Designated a Tier I terrorist as part of the Department of State designation of the IRGC as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 2019.</li>
<li>Designated under U.S. Executive Order 13224 as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in 2011.</li>
<li>Designated under U.S. EO 13572 for human rights abuses in 2011.</li>
<li>Designated under U.S. EO 13882 for providing material support to terrorists in 2007.</li>
<li>Sanctioned by the United Nations under UNSCR 1747 for involvement in Iran’s nuclear program in 2007.</li>
<li>Designated by the European Union in EU 442/2011 for support to the Syrian regime in 2011.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>

Iran conducts drill at Great Salt Desert in the middle of the Iranian Plateau

VIDEO: U.S. Missile System Destroys Iranian Explosive Drones Targeting U.S. Base

Drones

U.S. forces in Iraq stopped the second armed drone attack in two days targeting an air base west of Baghdad.
&#8220;Two explosive-laden drones were shot down on Tuesday by Iraq&#8217;s air defenses as they approached the Ain al-Asad air base, which hosts U.S. forces, west of Baghdad, an official of the U.S.-led international military coalition said,&#8221; <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/drone-attack-us-forces-foiled-west-baghdad-2022-01-04/">Reuters</a> reported.
January 3 marked the two-year anniversary of the assassination of Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani by a U.S. drone strike at the Baghdad airport ordered by then-President Donald Trump. The strikes are believed to be associated with the anniversary of the assassination.
The attack marked the second consecutive day of armed drone strikes targeting the area.
Two armed drones were also shot down on Monday as they approached a military base housing U.S. forces near Baghdad’s international airport, according to Reuters.
“[A]n official of the U.S.-led international military coalition said the base’s defence system had engaged ‘two fixed-wing suicide drones. They were shot down without incident,&#8217;” the <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/drone-attack-us-base-foiled-iraqi-security-sources-say-2022-01-03/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> stated.
“This was a dangerous attack on a civilian airport,” the coalition official also said, according to Reuters.
As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/armed-drones-shot-down-by-u-s-troops-at-iraqi-airport" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> on Monday:
<blockquote>
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. Footage from the debris revealed that one of the drones had the words “Soleimani’s revenge” written on the wing in Arabic.
<a href="https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20220103-two-armed-drones-shot-down-at-baghdad-airport?ref=tw_i" target="_blank" rel="noopener">France 24</a> added, “Two fixed-wing suicide drones, or improvised cruise missiles, attempted to attack Baghdad Airport this morning at approximately 4:30 am” (0130 GMT), the official told AFP.”
The report also said that a C-RAM system took down the threat “without incident.”
“A counter-rocket, artillery and mortar, or C-RAM, system ‘at the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center engaged them and they were shot down without incident,’ added the source, speaking on condition of anonymity,” the report said.</blockquote>
As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-u-s-kills-two-top-iranian-military-leaders-bigger-than-bin-laden-al-baghdadi-reports-say" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> in 2020, U.S. military forces reportedly killed two top Iranian military commanders involved in terrorism in Iraq in an airstrike in what analysts said was a significantly bigger deal than the killing of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi:
<blockquote>Iranian Major-General Qasem Soleimani, head of the Quds Force, and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis were the two Iranian military leaders who were killed. Al-Muhandis was in charge of the Iranian-linked Popular Mobilization Forces.
BBC reporter Ali Hashem reported: “My sources suggesting that commander of IRGC Quds force Qassem Suleimani and Deputy chief of PMU Abu Mahdi AlMuhandes were in the convoy hit by the U.S. airstrike near Baghdad airport Iraq.”</blockquote>
The first drone attack on Monday also occurred on the same day that Iran&#8217;s President Ebrahim Raisi spoke about Soleimani&#8217;s death. Raisi claimed Trump must be put on trial for the general&#8217;s death.
&#8220;If Trump and (former secretary of state Mike) Pompeo are not tried in a fair court for the criminal act of assassinating General Soleimani, Muslims will take our martyr&#8217;s revenge,&#8221; Raisi said in the speech, according to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-vows-revenge-soleimani-killing-if-trump-not-put-trial-2022-01-03/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reuters</a>.
&#8220;The aggressor, murderer and main culprit &#8211; the then president of the United States &#8211; must be tried and judged under the (Islamic) law of retribution, and God&#8217;s ruling must be carried out against him,&#8221; he added.

U.S. Troops Stop Second Drone Attack In Two Days

U.S. Military

​The despotic theocratic regime in Iran has reportedly asked Interpol to tell law enforcement agencies around the world to arrest President Trump for the killing of General Qassem Soleimani — head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization — once Trump is no longer president. Iran also wants Interpol to target 47 other Trump administration officials.
Iran had already asked for Interpol to intercede in June, but Interpol responded, “It is strictly forbidden for the Organization to undertake any intervention or activities of a political, military, religious or racial character.” Soleimani was <a href="https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2049534/statement-by-the-department-of-defense/">killed</a> in a Trump-ordered airstrike near Baghdad International Airport on January 3, 2020.
According to  <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/5/iran-issues-interpol-notice-for-48-us-officials-including-trump">Al Jazeera,</a> Iranian judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili stated, “The Islamic Republic of Iran is very seriously following up on pursuing and punishing those who ordered and executed this crime.”
“Iranian judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi said Trump is a target of prosecution and will not be protected by his political status as of Jan. 20 when President-elect Joe Biden will take over the White House,” <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/01/05/iran-reportedly-asks-interpol-to-arrest-trump-over-killing-soleimani/?utm_source=NYPTwitter&amp;utm_campaign=SocialFlow&amp;utm_medium=SocialFlow">the New York Post</a> noted.
Rais said, “Fortunately, Trump’s presidency has ended. But even if his term hadn’t ended, it would be unacceptable to say someone shouldn’t be accountable to law due to his administrative position.”
“Soleimani was the head of the Iranian and Iranian-backed forces carrying out those operations killing American troops” during the Iraq War, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/state-dept-iranian-general-killed-in-u-s-strike-responsible-for-17-of-american-deaths-in-iraq?%3Futm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=dwtwitter">Fox News</a> reported. “According to the State Department, 17 percent of all deaths of U.S. personnel in Iraq from 2003 to 2011 were orchestrated by Soleimani.”
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mike-pompeo-reveals-what-iranian-terrorist-qasem-soleimani-was-planning-that-led-to-strike/">stated</a> of the killing of Soleimani:
<blockquote>It in fact was an all of government effort directed and led by President Trump. We identified a risk. The president talked about today that Soleimani, the terrorist, was engaged in active plotting. There was an attack that was imminent that could have killed dozens or hundreds of Americans. We found an opportunity, and we delivered.
We brought all of America&#8217;s best and brightest together, found an opportunity, and took this guy – who you described pretty accurately as one of the worst terrorists ever to walk the face of the planet – we took him off the battlefield. We were successful at eliminating the risk that he would ever conduct a terror campaign anywhere in the world again or that he could put any American at risk one more time.</blockquote>
After the U.S. killed Soleimani, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) slammed President Trump, stating, &#8220;American leaders’ highest priority is to protect American lives and interests. But we cannot put the lives of American servicemembers, diplomats and others further at risk by engaging in provocative and disproportionate actions.&#8221; She continued, &#8220;The Trump Admin has conducted strikes in Iraq targeting high-level Iranian military officials and killing Iranian Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani without an AUMF against Iran. Further, this action was taken without the consultation of the Congress.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The Trump Admin has conducted strikes in Iraq targeting high-level Iranian military officials and killing Iranian Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani without an AUMF against Iran. Further, this action was taken without the consultation of the Congress.
&mdash; Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerPelosi/status/1213096517948596224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2020</a></blockquote>
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iran trump

Iran Tells Interpol: After Trump Leaves Office, Get Him Arrested For Killing Of Soleimani

The Department of Defense said late on Sunday that it has ordered the USS Nimitz, a nuclear-powered aircraft, to turn around following new threats and actions from Iran, which comes just several days after the carrier was ordered to return home after providing cover for U.S. forces that were returning home from the Middle East.
&#8220;The acting secretary of the defense, Christopher C. Miller, abruptly reversed his previous order to redeploy the Nimitz, which he had done over the objections of his top military advisers,&#8221; The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/03/world/middleeast/trump-iran-carrier-nimitz.html">reported</a>. &#8220;The military had for weeks been engaged in a muscle-flexing strategy aimed at deterring Iran from attacking American personnel in the Persian Gulf.&#8221;
&#8220;Due to the recent threats issued by Iranian leaders against President Trump and other U.S. government officials, I have ordered the USS Nimitz to halt its routine redeployment,&#8221; Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller <a href="https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2460938/statement-by-acting-secretary-miller-on-iranian-threats-and-the-uss-nimitz/source/GovDelivery/">said</a> in a statement. &#8220;The USS Nimitz will now remain on station in the U.S. Central Command area of operations. No one should doubt the resolve of the United States of America.&#8221;
The announcement comes after top Iranian officials suggested following the new year that the Islamic Republic of Iran may seek to assassinate President Donald Trump in retaliation for last year&#8217;s killing of Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Qods Force (IRGC-QF), a U.S.-designated terrorist organization.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/top-iranian-officials-suggest-theyll-try-to-avenge-soleimani-by-killing-trump">Videos of the remarks</a> by Ebrahim Raisi, head of Iran’s judiciary, and IRGC General Esmail Qaani, commander of the Qods Force, were posted online and translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), which tracks Islamic extremism, anti-Semitism and anti-American sentiment around the world.
“The (Americans) should wait for the hard revenge,” Raisi said on Jan. 1. “The beloved resistance forces will determine the place and the time. The Islamic nation knows at what point in time and where this revenge will be exacted. The enemy should know that its life will be very difficult from now on. The resistance movement will make the enemy’s life much more difficult, in revenge for the blood of the martyr Soleimani. One of the aspects of the hard revenge will be driving the Americans out of the region.”
“Punishing those who gave the order and those who committed the crime is another aspect of this hard revenge,” Raisi continued. “I am addressing the enemy. Let no one think that if someone holds the position of the U.S. President, yet he commits or orders a murder, he will be immune to the enforcement of law and justice and will remain on the sidelines. Never! Those who played a role in this assassination, in this crime, none of them will be safe anywhere on the globe. This is final. The steel willpower of the resistance movement will exact hard revenge from them.”
Qaani gave similar remarks, saying that those who were involved would not be safe anywhere and that Iran may find assassins to carry out attacks “even inside your own house.”
Trump sent Iran a stern warning late last year after several of their rockets were fired at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
&#8220;Our embassy in Baghdad got hit Sunday by several rockets. Three rockets failed to launch. Guess where they were from: IRAN. Now we hear chatter of additional attacks against Americans in Iraq,&#8221; Trump tweeted. &#8220;Some friendly health advice to Iran: If one American is killed, I will hold Iran responsible. Think it over.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&#8230;Some friendly health advice to Iran: If one American is killed, I will hold Iran responsible. Think it over.
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1341862955604975617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 23, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Onboard The USS George H.W Bush – One Of The US Navy’s Premier Warships

Pentagon Orders Aircraft Carrier Nimitz, On Its Way Home, To Turn Around Following Iranian Threats

Middle East

Pentagon

Top Iranian officials have kicked off the new year by suggesting that they may attempt to assassinate President Donald Trump after he leaves office in retaliation for U.S. forces killing Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Qods Force (IRGC-QF), a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, last year.
Videos of the remarks by Ebrahim Raisi, head of Iran&#8217;s judiciary, and IRGC General Esmail Qaani, commander of the Qods Force, were posted online and translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), which tracks Islamic extremism, anti-Semitism and anti-American sentiment around the world.
Raisi specifically suggested that Iranian &#8220;hard revenge&#8221; included targeting &#8220;the U.S. president,&#8221; saying that those involved &#8220;will [not] be safe anywhere on the globe.&#8221;
&#8220;The (Americans) should wait for the hard revenge,&#8221; Raisi said on January 1. &#8220;The beloved resistance forces will determine the place and the time. The Islamic nation knows at what point in time and where this revenge will be exacted. The enemy should know that its life will be very difficult from now on. The resistance movement will make the enemy’s life much more difficult, in revenge for the blood of the martyr Soleimani. One of the aspects of the hard revenge will be driving the Americans out of the region.&#8221;
&#8220;Punishing those who gave the order and those who committed the crime is another aspect of this hard revenge,&#8221; Raisi continued. &#8220;I am addressing the enemy. Let no one think that if someone holds the position of the U.S. President, yet he commits or orders a murder, he will be immune to the enforcement of law and justice and will remain on the sidelines. Never! Those who played a role in this assassination, in this crime, none of them will be safe anywhere on the globe. This is final. The steel willpower of the resistance movement will exact hard revenge from them.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Head of Iranian Judiciary Ebrahim Raisi: The Culprits Behind the Assassination of Soleimani Will Not Be Safe Anywhere on the Globe, Even the President of the U.S. Is Not Immune to Iranian Justice <a href="https://t.co/0MsLCaa48S">pic.twitter.com/0MsLCaa48S</a>
&mdash; MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) <a href="https://twitter.com/MEMRIReports/status/1346003465202507776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 4, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Qaani gave similar remarks, saying that those who were involved would not be safe anywhere and that Iran may find assassins to carry out attacks &#8220;even inside your own house.&#8221;
&#8220;Those who committed this crime should know: They have done something that will (bring rise) to a man, somewhere in the world, who will repay those non-men in kind,&#8221; he said. &#8220;By perpetrating this crime, you have created work for all the free people in the world. Rest assured that even inside your own house, people may by found that will repay you in kind for your crime.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Qods Force Commander IRGC General Esmail Qaani Warns Those Who “Committed the Crime” of Assassinating Soleimani: Even in Your Own Home, Someone May “Repay You In Kind” <a href="https://t.co/gMMvwABL6a">pic.twitter.com/gMMvwABL6a</a>
&mdash; MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) <a href="https://twitter.com/MEMRIReports/status/1346002188426948608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 4, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Following the U.S. airstrike that terminated Soleimani, the U.S. State Department released the following fact-sheet on him:
<blockquote>
<ul>
<li>Since 1998, Qassem Soleimani commanded Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Qods Force (IRGC-QF), the terror arm of the Iranian regime. The IRGC-QF is tasked with planning and executing terror and military operations outside Iran’s borders. Under Soleimani’s command, the IRGC-QF has fueled destabilizing sectarian conflicts throughout the Middle East for decades.</li>
<li>The IRGC-QF continues to wage an illegal campaign of terrorism, assassinations, and violence. At Soleimani’s direction and with his oversight and guidance, the IRGC-QF has planned and conducted terrorist attacks across six continents and inside the United States.</li>
<li>The United States designated IRGC-QF a Foreign Terrorist Organization for its activities, and the United States designated Soleimani as a Specially-Designated Global Terrorist.</li>
<li>As the leader of the IRGC-QF, Qassem Soleimani was directly responsible for arming, funding, and training proxy groups in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Bahrain, Yemen, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. Operations carried out by these proxy groups have led to the death and suffering of tens of thousands, including many hundreds of Americans. These proxies routinely target and kill civilians, intensify sectarian conflicts, and prolong the suffering of innocent men, women, and children.</li>
<li>Soleimani personally directed and provided arms to militias in Iraq for more than a decade. These militias undermine the sovereignty of the Iraqi state, threaten the legitimacy of Iraq’s security forces, and target American citizens and forces. With Soleimani’s support and lethal assistance, proxies of the IRGC-QF targeted and killed over 600 Americans between 2003 and 2011.</li>
<li>We can confirm that in the past several days, General Soleimani had been traveling in the Middle East coordinating further imminent large-scale attacks against U.S. diplomats and service members. These threats were highly credible and the intelligence is sound. General Soleimani’s travel also violated the ban imposed by the United Nations Security Council.</li>
<li>Recent orders given by General Soleimani dramatically escalated Iran’s campaign of violence and terrorism against Americans and American interests in the Middle East. He orchestrated a series of attacks against American forces in Iraq in the past several months, culminating in the rocket attack on December 27, 2019, which resulted in the death of an American citizen, wounded four American service members, and threatened the lives of many more American personnel. General Soleimani also ordered the assault on the American Embassy in Baghdad. General Soleimani continued to command Iranian supported proxies in Iraq, which posed an escalating threat to the lives of Americans.</li>
<li>For his actions, Soleimani had been designated and sanctioned by the United Nations, European Union, and United States and is banned from international travel by United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231. In defiance of United Nations Security Council resolutions, however, Soleimani continued to travel to Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon directing and coordinating lethal actions that pose a threat to regional peace and security.</li>
<li>Some key international and United States designations of Soleimani include:
<ul>
<li>Designated a Tier I terrorist as part of the Department of State designation of the IRGC as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 2019.</li>
<li>Designated under U.S. Executive Order 13224 as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in 2011.</li>
<li>Designated under U.S. EO 13572 for human rights abuses in 2011.</li>
<li>Designated under U.S. EO 13882 for providing material support to terrorists in 2007.</li>
<li>Sanctioned by the United Nations under UNSCR 1747 for involvement in Iran’s nuclear program in 2007.</li>
<li>Designated by the European Union in EU 442/2011 for support to the Syrian regime in 2011.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>

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