Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
Tehran, SANA– Ninety-four of the suspects involved in the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani are from the United States, including three main defendants who are ex-US President Donald Trump, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and head of the US Central Command (CENTCOM) Kenneth McKenzie, an Iranian official said.
Kazem Gharibabadi, the secretary of the High Council for Human Rights and deputy head of the Iranian judiciary, announced the latest follow-ups by the Iranian judicial system on the case of General Soleimani’s assassination in a news conference in Tehran on Tuesday.
Gharibabadi also pointed to the cooperation between the judicial systems of Iraq and Iran, saying that a joint committee of the two countries held three rounds of talks in Baghdad and Tehran and that the fourth round will be held within a few days.
The indictment of the dossier is to be finalized in the near future, he assessed, noting that the indictment is now focusing on the American suspects, who are 94 people at present.
Since the suspects are not merely American nationals, the Iranian judiciary sent judicial representations to seven countries, including Germany and Britain, he argued.
Families of the martyrs from Iraq accused five people of playing role in the assassination of General Soleimani and his entourage, including Deputy Chairman of Popular Mobilization Committee of Iraq Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the official said, adding that Iran’s judicial system provided the Iraqi counterparts with documents on the involvement of 17 Iraqi nationals in the crime.
In the framework of the Convention 1973, Iran sent an official letter to the US administration, urging the American authorities to extradite the defendants to Iran or sue them on US soil, Gharibabadi said, adding that the deadline set in this diplomatic note has expired, which means Iran can take the next steps according to the convention.
US terrorists assassinated General Soleimani, the commander of the Qods Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the former commander of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), along with their companions by targeting their vehicles outside Baghdad International Airport on 3 January 2020 at the direct order from US President Donald Trump.
Amer Dawa
