‘Foolish escalation’: Iran on Soleimani’s killing in US airstrike in Baghdad

‘US bears responsibility for consequences of its rogue adventurism’: Iran FM on top commander Soleimani’s killing.

Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif lashed out at the United States for carrying out airstrikes at the Baghdad International Airport which killed Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Qasem Soleimani on Friday morning.

In this file photo provided by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani, center, attends a meeting in Tehran, Iran. Iraqi TV and three Iraqi officials said Friday, Jan. 3, 2020, that Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, has been killed in an airstrike at Baghdad’s international airport. (AP)

The foreign minister termed the US decision to carry out the attacks as an ‘act of international terrorism’. He said that United States is responsible for this ‘foolish escalation’ against ‘one of the most effective force fighting Daesh (ISIS), Al Nusrah, Al Qaeda.’

Watch: Qasem Soleimani killed by a US air strike, all you need to know

On Friday morning, United States fired three Katyusha missiles at the Baghdad International Airport killing Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander and head of the elite al-Quds force and Iraq ‘s paramilitary Popular Mobilization Forces’ deputy head Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. The Pentagon then took out a statement saying that the killings were carried out ‘at the direction of the President’.

Qasem Soleimani was close to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khameini,and was viewed as a potential future leader of the nation which is at constant rift with United States since Donald Trump joined the Oval Office and decided to walk out of the nuclear deal with Iran. Iran currently faces economic sanctions imposed by US due to Iran’s walking out of the nuclear deal.