Iran Begins Legal Action Against 97 Suspects Involved In Soleimani Killing

Iran's judiciary says it has identified 97 suspects in the assassination of IRGC Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, including former US President, Donald Trump.

Mohammad Mosaddegh, Deputy Chief of Iran's Judiciary, announced on Wednesday that "legal measures have been initiated against 73 Americans" including Trump and former secretary of state, Mike Pompeo.

On January 3, 2020, President Donald Trump ordered a drone strike near Baghdad International Airport that resulted in the death of Soleimani. The US justified the action by claiming Soleimani was actively planning attacks against American diplomats and military personnel in Iraq and the broader region.

Mosaddegh called Soleimani's killing “a threat to Iran's national security” and claimed this week that “the judiciary has already dispatched 800 official letters to legal authorities and compiled 12,000 legal documents related to the matter".

Soleimani, who held a prominent role in Iran's military and intelligence operations abroad, oversaw the support and coordination of various militant proxy groups, including Lebanon's Hezbollah and Shiite militias in Iraq, which frequently targeted US forces.

Starting in January 2021, Tehran openly indicated its readiness to carry out deadly missions within the United States to seek revenge for the killing. It consistently singled out Trump, Pompeo, and former CENTCOM Commander General Kenneth McKenzie as top-priority targets for potential retaliation.

Mosaddegh claimed that Iran has independently sent requests for judicial cooperation to nine countries suspected of involvement in coordinating the terrorist attack, and they have received several responses.

Last year, President Ebrahim Raisi told the UN Donald Trump should face trial for his role in the Soleimani killing, and this year, continues to call for "vengeance" to the military man's killers.