Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has called for former President Donald Trump and Mike Pompeo to face “a fair court” over the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani.
Soleimani was killed in a drone strike ordered by Trump near Baghdad’s airport on Jan. 3, 2020.
Raisi made the remarks during a speech on the anniversary of Soleimani’s death. He also promised revenge if there is not a trial.
“If Trump and Pompeo are not tried in a fair court for the criminal act of assassinating General Soleimani, Muslims will take our martyr’s revenge,” Raisi said, according to a report from Reuters.
Raisi added that “God’s ruling” must be carried out against the former president.
“The aggressor, murderer and main culprit – the then president of the United States – must be tried and judged under the (Islamic) law of retribution, and God’s ruling must be carried out against him,” Raisi added.
In Iran, someone who is convicted of murder is likely to be executed unless the family of the victim agrees to take “blood money,” the Reuters report noted.
On Sunday, Iran called on the United Nations Security Council to hold Israel and the United States accountable for the assassination. Then-U.S. Attorney General William Barr defended the strike, telling the UN that it was “self defense” and that Soleimani was a “legitimate military target.”
Iranian authorities have 127 suspects involved with the assassination — 74 of which are American.
“The criminal former president (Trump) is at the top of the list,” Prosecutor-General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri said on Iranian state television.
Following the strike, then-President Trump said, “we took action last night to stop a war. We did not take action to start a war.”
On the same day as the speech, the Jerusalem Post was hacked and defaced with an illustration about Soleimani.
Jerusalem Post Hacked on Anniversary of Soleimani Assassination
“We are aware of the apparent hacking of our website, alongside a direct threat to Israel,” the English-language newspaper wrote in a social media post. “We are working to resolve the issue & thank readers for your patience and understanding.”
We are aware of the apparent hacking of our website, alongside a direct threat of Israel. We are working to resolve the issue & thank readers for your patience and understanding. For now, you can continue reading us on our app: https://t.co/UrEXIpatDPhttps://t.co/veBDuWgucp
— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) January 3, 2022
