Iran blacklists 51 Americans over the assassination of Soleimani

TEHRAN, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) — Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday blacklisted 51 more U.S. individuals for their “roles” in the assassination of former Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani.

In a statement, the ministry said the new list of sanctioned U.S. individuals, such as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and former National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien, is in line with implementing Iran’s law on “combating human rights violations and the adventurous and terrorist acts of the United States in the region.”

“The designated persons, as the case may be, have taken part in decision-making, organizing, financing, and carrying out the terrorist act or have otherwise justified terrorism which is a threat to the international peace and security through supporting such egregious terrorist attack,” it said.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump and former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, among others, were previously listed to be sanctioned for the same reason, according to the statement.

“By committing the terrorist act, the U.S. government has clearly violated its international obligations in the field of countering terrorism and terrorist financing, in particular, refraining from organizing terrorist acts,” it added.

A U.S. drone strike on a convoy killed Soleimani, former commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, along with an Iraqi militia commander near Baghdad International Airport on Jan. 3, 2020.

In a public address here on Monday to mark Soleimani’s second martyrdom anniversary, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said that Trump and Pompeo must be “prosecuted for their criminal activity” through a fair mechanism, warning Iran’s revenge in case those involved in and behind the “criminal act” are not punished.

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