The Diplomatic Insight _ January 2020

The Effects of the Martyrdom of
General Qassem Soleimani
Dr. Hamaneh Karimi-Kia
The writer is head of Press Section at Embassy of Iran Islamabad
It is now seven days since
General Qassem Soleimani got
martyred by the US. In this
article, I intend to address seven
effects of this martyrdom for Iran,
the region, the United States, and
the Muslim world.
1. The first effect of Qassem
Soleimani’s martyrdom was
the destruction of the myth
of American invincibility and
solemnity in the region. Until
recently, no one has challenged
the US presence in Iraq. By the
terrorist attack on Baghdad’s
airport and the assassination
of General Soleimani and
Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes, the
US has clearly shown that it
pays no respect to the Iraqi
government and sovereignty.
The same violation of Iraqi
sovereignty and attack on Iraqi
military forces caused the Iraqi
government and parliament
demand the withdrawal of US
troops and all foreign forces.
On the one hand, Interim Iraqi
Prime Minister Adel Abdul
Mahdi on Friday condemned
the US move to Martyr Quds
Force Commander Qassem
Suleimani and Commander
of Hashd Al-sha’abi, Abu al-
Mahdi Mohandis, as violation
of Iraqi national sovereignty.
Referring to the martyrdom of
Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes, the
successor of the Iraqi Popular
Mobilization Organization (al-
Hashed al-Sha’abi), he said:
“Assassination of an Iraqi
military commander holding
an official post is an assault on
Iraq.”
On the other hand, he Iraqi
parliament approved a draft bill
Sunday requiring the government
to ask Washington to withdraw
American troops from the
country. Holding a special meeting
on the withdrawal of US troops,
the Iraqi members of parliament
unanimously voted for this bill. In
the aftermath of this event, Abdul
Mahdi demanded that the process
of withdrawal of US troops shall be
clarified, stressing the seriousness
of the Iraqi government.
These developments showed the
difference between Iran’s presence
in Iraq and America’s presence
there. The Martyrdom of General
Soleimani highlighted the difference
between working to protect Iraqi
territorial integrity from breaking
national sovereignty and invading
territory and occupation for
imperialist purposes. Compare the
fact that the Iraqi Prime Minister
came to the airport to welcome
Qassem Soleimani, with the tragic
entrance of Trump on Iraqi soil in
Christmas 2019.
The Islamic Republic of Iran, with
prior notice to the Iraqi government,
attacked several US bases in Iraq at
dawn on Wednesday, including its
security eye and ears in the area, the
Ayn al-Assad base. Iran did so in
response to a US attack on Baghdad
airport and the assassination of
two Iranian and Iraqi military
commanders and several other
militants. At this time, for the
first time in post-World War II, a
government attacked US bases and
responded to its attempt to break
the sovereignty of other countries.
Don’t forget that President Trump
traveled to Ayn Al-Assad military
base overnight last Christmas
(2019) without informing the Iraqi
government. This was an overt
violation of national sovereignty
and territorial boundaries of Iraq.
Then, shortly after Christmas
2020, the same military base was
destroyed by Iran.
The assassination of General
Soleimani also showed the
hypocrisy and lies of the Americans:
claiming to fight terrorists and
killing the hero of the fight against
terrorists who was the number
one enemy of ISIS and al-Nusra;
claiming to support human rights
and repeated and grave human
rights abuses including violation
THE DIPLOMATIC INSIGHT•13