Tehran’s judiciary sentences 73 US officials to pay $9 billion for Soleimani’s assassination

The head of Tehran’s judiciary, Ali Alghasi-Mehr, announced that the Tehran Criminal Court has ordered the US government and officials to pay a total of $9 billion for the targeted killing of Ghasem Soleimani and sanctions against the Islamic State. Republic.

Alghasi-Mehr also helped notify 73 US officials to announce legal representation for the legal proceedings related to the case of Qassem Soleimani, commander of the IRGC’s Quds Force.

On January 3, 2020, President Donald Trump ordered a drone strike near Baghdad International Airport, which resulted in the death of Soleimani. The US justified the action by claiming that Soleimani was actively planning attacks against US diplomats and military personnel in Iraq and the wider region.

Last year, Iran’s judiciary said it had identified 97 suspects in Soleimani’s killing, including former US President Donald Trump. Mohammad Mosaddegh, deputy head of Iran’s judiciary, announced Wednesday that “legal action has been taken against 73 Americans,” including Trump. and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Soleimani, who played a prominent role in Iran’s military and intelligence operations abroad, oversaw the support and coordination of several militant proxy groups, including the Lebanese Hezbollah and Shiite militias in Iraq, which often targeted U.S. forces.

As of January 2021, Tehran has openly indicated its willingness to carry out deadly missions in the United States to take revenge for the killing. It has consistently singled out Trump, Pompeo and former CENTCOM Commander General Kenneth McKenzie as top priority targets for possible retaliation.

In 2022, late President Ebrahim Raisi said this to the UN that Donald Trump should stand trial for his role in Soleimani’s assassination, and continues to call for “revenge” on the soldier’s killers this year.