Iran Press/ Iran News: In a telephone conversation with Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri on Thursday, 16 January Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar stressed the need for collective cooperation to maintain stability in the region and prevent terrorists from taking advantage of the situation.
Hulusi Akar offered his condolences to the Iranian government, nation, and military forces over the loss of Lieutenant General Soleimani.
“Unfortunately, the assassination and martyrdom of Lieutenant General Soleimani triggered a string of incidents in the region, which are greatly worrying,” the Turkish defense minister added.
For his part, the top Iranian commander denounced the American assassination of Lieutenant General Soleimani as an “inhumane, unfair and immoral” move that violated all legal and international regulations.
He said the assassination of Lt Gen Soleimani in addition to the US attacks on the bases of Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) and targeting the military bases of the Syrian Army, has set off a new round of tensions in the region.
“While the Americans themselves had pushed the region to the brink of a broad skirmish by assassinating Gen. Soleimani and his companions, they were sending messages to prevent an escalation of tensions. But the Islamic Republic of Iran displayed its decisive will to protect its rights with a retaliatory operation against the American military base of Ain al-Assad in Iraq and proved that if the US acts of mischief continue, it will receive heavier responses,” Major General Baqeri added.
He emphasized that Iran does not favor growing tensions, but it would harshly respond to any irrational and aggressive action.
“We hope that disorder and conflicts would be eradicated with the retreat of the US from the region,” the senior commander added.
Lieutenant General Qasem Soleimani, top commander of Iran’s elite IRGC 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 in a terrorist operation of the US Army near Baghdad airport with direct order of US president President Donald Trump in the early hours of Friday morning 3 January 2020.
On 8 Jan, the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) target the US airbase of Ain al-Asad in western Iraq with 'tens of missiles'.
The attack came in response to a US terrorist drone strike days earlier that martyred the former Commander of Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani.
205/211/219
Read More:
Iranian Armed Forces have defeated the enemy in various fields: Maj. Gen Bagheri
Maj Gen Bagheri: Iran has made a lasting and strong deterrence against plots of enemies
