Iranian officials are angry at the U.S intelligence for the killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani and now they want everyone included in the assassination to be arrested, including President Donald Trump. However, the U.S Government is calling the arrest warrant a "propaganda stunt".
Trump's arrest warrant
On June 29, Tehran prosecutor Ali Algasimehr announced that Trump and 35 other people are now facing murder and terrorism charges. Algasimehr told the IRNA that the charges are connected to the attack in Baghdad back on January 3 that killed the leader of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's Quds Force.
Algasimehr stated that Iran has asked Interpol to help them put out a notice for Trump and the 35 other people involved in the assassination. The notice, also known as the "red notice" is the highest-level arrest request that is issued by the international organization.
In response to the request, Interpol issued a statement stating that they can't intervene in any activities of a political nature and that it would not consider Iran's request, as reported by Fox News.
The U.S special representative for Iran, Brian Hook, dismissed the arrest warrant for President Trump and said during a news conference in Saudi Arabia on June 29 that the arrest warrant is just a propaganda stunt that no one takes seriously and that it only makes the Iranians look foolish.
Back in January, the U.S killed Soleimani and his company by a drone strike near Baghdad International Airport. The assassination came after months of rising tensions between the United States and Iran. After the incident, Iran retaliated by using a missile strike and targeting American troops in Iraq.
Algasimehr did not identify the 35 other people that Iran issued an arrest warrant for but stressed that Iran would continue to pursue Trump's prosecution even after the end of his presidential term.
Qassem Soleimani's death
Qassem Soleimani was a 62-year-old general who spearheaded the military operations of Iran in the Middle East and he was also the head of Iran's elite Quds Force.
The airstrike order that killed him and his men were ordered by U.S President Donald Trump. Trump said that the general was, directly and indirectly, responsible for the deaths of millions of people.
The death of Soleimani escalated the already ongoing tensions between the United States and Iran. Under the leadership of Soleimani, Iran had bolstered Hezbollah in Lebanon and other pro-Iranian militant groups. He also expanded its military presence in Syria and Iraq and had created Syria's offensive against all rebel groups in Syria's long civil war.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader, said that severe revenge awaits those who were responsible behind the assassination. Iran went on three days of national mourning. Soleimani was the second most powerful figure in Iran, just behind Khamenei.
The Quds Force reported to Khamenei and Soleimani was hailed as Iran's national figure. However, the US has called Soleimani and the Quds Force terrorists and holds them responsible for the deaths of US personnel in Iran and Iraq, according to BBC.
President Trump was in Florida at the time of the assassination, and when the news broke, he tweeted an image of the American Flag.
Related Article: Iran Issues Arrest Warrant for Donald Trump for Terrorism, Asked Help from Interpol
