Iran Press/America: Mike Pompeo has expressed disappointment with European reaction to the US martyring of the Iranian Lieutenant general Qassem Soleimani, suggesting the UK, France, and Germany have not been sufficiently supportive.
According to 'Guardian', the US secretary of State compared the European response unfavorably with US “partners in the region”, a likely reference to Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, which Pompeo consulted after the Soleimani assassination.
“I spent the last day and a half, two days, talking to partners in the region, sharing with them what we were doing, why we were doing it, seeking their assistance, they’ve all been fantastic. And then talking to our partners in other places that haven’t been quite as good," Pompeo said in his interview with Fox News.
“Frankly, the Europeans haven’t been as helpful as I wish that they could be. The Brits, the French, the Germans all need to understand that what we did, what the Americans did, saved lives in Europe as well," Pompeo said, claiming that: “Qassem Suleimani led and his IRGC [Revolutionary Guard] led assassination campaigns in Europe. This was a good thing for the entire world, and we are urging everyone in the world to get behind what the United States is trying to do to get the Islamic Republic of Iran to simply behave like a normal nation.”
Policy towards Iran has been a deeply divisive issue between the US and Europe since Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 multilateral agreement with Iran that imposed strict limits on its nuclear program in return for sanctions relief. European officials have blamed Trump’s efforts to strangle Iran economically for the rising tensions in the Persian Gulf.
Lieutenant General Qasem Soleimani, military commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force, Abu Mehdi al-Muhandis, the deputy chief of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization (al-Hashed al-Sha'abi), along with a number of other military figures were martyred by direct order of US President Donald Trump in the early hours of Friday morning 3 January 2020.
Lieutenant General Soleimani has been named in the list of top Global Thinkers in the defense and security in Foreign Policy (FP)’s 2019.
Following the Martyrdom of Lieutenant General Soleimani, Iran's leader and Commander-in-Chief issued a decree appointing Brigadier General Esmail Gha'ani to command the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Earlier, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei stressed that severe revenge is waiting for those who are behind this criminal act. 212/ 104
Related News:
The body of Lt. Gen. Soleimani and his martyred companions enters Iran
Mourners gather in Karbala for the funeral procession of Lt. Gen. Soleimani
