The death of Qassem Soleimani on January 3, 2020, was one of the most significant political and military events with far-reaching impacts on Iran, the region, and the world. As the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Soleimani played a central role in exporting terrorism and regional warmongering. Due to his extensive actions in the region and systematic crimes, he was one of the most detested figures of the regime after Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
On the fifth anniversary of this event and following the domino-like collapse of the strategic depth of the Iranian regime, it is clearer how the death of this criminal significantly weakened the foundation of the religious fascism.
Khamenei’s Arm for Repression and Terrorism
In the 1990s, Soleimani was appointed as the commander of the IRGC Quds Force, a terrorist force specifically tasked with advancing the regional goals of religious fascism by supporting militas such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and Iraqi terrorist groups. He played an active role in orchestrating proxy wars in Syria and Iraq and was recognized as the architect of the regime’s expansionist terrorism in the region. His suppression of uprisings inside Iran and the mass killings of civilians in countries such as Syria, Iraq, and Yemen branded him as a war criminal. Additionally, he played a direct role in attacks on the bases of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) in Ashraf and Liberty.
Reactions and Consequences of Soleimani’s Death in the Region and the World
The death of Soleimani sparked mixed reactions across the region. Groups supported by the Islamic Republic, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, viewed it as an attack on the “Axis of Resistance.” However, in Iraq and Syria, many people, especially young people, welcomed the event with joy. His elimination provided an opportunity to reduce the influence of religious fascism in these countries.
Even when the infamous Assad family was in power, the Syrian people celebrated Soleimani’s death by distributing sweets. They were among the victims of the regime’s cross-border terrorism. On January 3, 2021, Mohammad-Reza Naqdi, a coordinator of the IRGC, admitted that the regime had spent $17 billion in “the region,” by which he meant Syria. He stated:
“There was a situation where we couldn’t say our forces were killed in Syria. We said they were killed in the West. Everyone condemned us and said you’re supporting a dictator. Khamenei saw the depth of the front. Soleimani, with a plane loaded with tens of tons of explosives, weapons, and ammunition, landed in the middle of an airport under enemy siege.”
On an international level, Soleimani’s death elicited reactions from the United States, Europe, and the United Nations. The global community regarded the event as a serious blow to Khamenei’s interventionist policies.
Psychological Impacts and Demoralization Within the Regime
The death of Soleimani is considered a significant turning point. As mentioned, he was not only a criminal leader of the IRGC Quds Force but also a driving force behind the terrorist policies of Iran’s regime in the region and the world. His death created a major void in the structure of the regime and the IRGC.
On January 1, 2022, Khamenei expressed his bitterness over the widespread social and online reaction to Soleimani’s death, saying:
“You probably know more than I do what reactions there are to his name in cyberspace. This is another lesson, a further warning for us and the country’s cyberspace authorities to understand what they need to do! The enemy shouldn’t be able to act however it wants, anywhere it wants. And, of course, global cyberspace is under the control of oppressors.”
On December 30, 2021, Speaker of Majlis (Parliament) Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf admitted, “His absence is felt everywhere on the front and in the region.”
On July 21, 2022, foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said, “If Qassem Soleimani and the armed forces had not been deployed in the region, we definitely would not have had security in Tehran.”
On January 5, 2023, Ahmad Alamolhoda, Khamenei’s representative in Mashhad, citing Khamenei, acknowledged that Qassem Soleimani advanced the regional terrorism strategy and designed the October 7 attack, “Indeed, the Al-Aqsa Storm operation is a product of the sacrifices, leadership, and planning of Martyr Haj Qassem Soleimani. This martyr, Al-Arouri, who was martyred a few days ago and was the head of Hamas’s office in Beirut, reportedly said a week before his martyrdom that Martyr Haj Qassem Soleimani went to Gaza three times, and no one noticed his comings and goings. He said Soleimani went to Gaza three times. The tunnels in Gaza were created with the suggestion of Martyr Imad Mughniyeh and the design of Martyr Haj Qassem Soleimani. The vision of this man, his leadership, created the Al-Aqsa Storm operation. He formulated the plan for the Al-Aqsa Storm and dictated it to the Palestinian resistance, which bore fruit today. When I say Al-Aqsa Storm is the legacy of Martyr Haj Qassem, this is not an exaggeration or just my claim.”
On January 7, 2022, Morteza Movahedi-Pour, the Friday Prayer Leader of Bojnurd, said, “If General Soleimani and his comrades had not been there, today in our great Iran, as the Supreme Leader said, we might have faced significant losses in cities like Kermanshah and Hamadan. The pressures they exert are immense; they push so hard to test [us].”
Distribution of Sweets in Iran
The death of Soleimani triggered widespread reactions in Iran. In the streets, people mocked and celebrated the event, expressing their disdain for the regime’s policies. Some videos and images of people distributing sweets in various parts of Iran captured this public sentiment.
On social media, hashtags related to his death trended globally.
The Blood of the PMOI on Qassem Soleimani’s Hands
Alongside advancing Khamenei’s terrorist policies in the region, Qassem Soleimani was responsible for orchestrating the massacres of residents in Ashraf and Liberty.
On September 4, 2013, a member of the Assembly of Experts admitted during a session that Soleimani had “addressed the issue of Iraq and Camp Ashraf, where over 50 individuals were killed, many of whom were PMOI leaders, and 10 others went missing. This incident was even more significant than the Mersad operation.”
This was echoed by IRGC commander Hossein Salami, who also referred to the massacre of 52 Ashraf residents.
The daughter of Hassan Irloo, a former Iranian ambassador to Yemen and senior Quds Force commander, revealed that the force was responsible for the massacre of the PMOI members on September 1, 2013: “Many of my father’s actions were not disclosed due to security considerations, and even we were unaware until after his [death] that he was among the key figures in the operation to evacuate PMOI from Camp Ashraf” (IRAM, October 28, 2021).
The daughter of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, Soleimani’s right-hand man in Iraq, openly stated that her father participated in the attack on the Habib base of the PMOI’s National Liberation Army of Iran: “In the 1990s, his methods changed after the war ended, and he began operations inside Iraq. He conducted numerous operations, some known to the public, others not. At that time, he was one of their commanders and part of the Badr Corps. Among the operations he personally carried out was the attack on the Habib base. The Habib base belonged to the PMOI in Iraq. In the late 1990s, he became the commander of the Badr Corps, which facilitated direct contact with Haj Qassem Soleimani. Such success would not have been possible without support from the Islamic Republic of Iran and assistance from Hezbollah teams in Lebanon. Without the Islamic Republic’s backing, Hashd al-Shaabi (PMF) would not have been formed or expanded.”
A photo published by the Long War Journal, associated with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in the U.S., shows Qassem Soleimani inspecting militias responsible for killings in Tikrit. He is sipping tea from a flask labeled “Ceremony Warehouse,” which reportedly came from looted PMOI properties after the September 1, 2013, massacre at Ashraf. The label, blatantly indicative of the PMOI’s stolen belongings, was not even removed, perhaps as a show of power by Soleimani.
The series of missile attacks on Camp Liberty were also directly conducted under Soleimani’s supervision, as noted in statements by the National Council of Resistance of Iran at the time.
The Regime’s Defeat in Iran’s Cities
The death of Soleimani not only dealt a blow to the regime and its regional policies but also boosted the fighting spirit of the Iranian people. Now, as the regime faces numerous internal and external challenges, the crushing impacts of this strategic blow are increasingly evident in the regime’s warmongering and terrorist policies.
As the regime has lost its strategic depth, it is now the turn of Iran’s youth to bring defeat to religious fascism in the cities of Iran. This time, no obstacle, not even the malevolent legacy of Soleimani or the regime’s hollow myth-making about him, can stand in their way.
Source » eurasiareview