US state terrorism starts end of its presence in region: Iran deputy FM

A senior Iranian diplomat has lashed out at some White House "hawks" for still insisting on its failed maximum pressure campaign against Iran, saying Washington’s assassination of Iranian “heroes” through state terrorism will end the US’s presence in the region.

"Assassination of our heroes through US state terrorism started the end of US presence in region," Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Abbas Araqchi said in a post on his Twitter account on Saturday.

On January 3, the United States assassinated Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), among others, in an air raid on an airport in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.

General Soleimani has earned reputation as West Asia’s most revered anti-terror commander due to his indispensable contribution to defeating terrorist outfits such as Daesh across the region.

The strike also led to the martyrdom of second-in-command of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis along with eight other Iranians and Iraqis.

Read more:

• General Soleimani inspires resistance even after martyrdom: Iran FM
• Iran: US will fail to undercut our influence through terror acts like Soleimani’s assassination
• General Soleimani's assassination was strategic mistake made by US: Iran deputy FM

In retaliation, the IRGC fired volleys of ballistic missiles on January 8 at Ain al-Assad air base in the western Iraqi province of Anbar, which housed US forces.

IRGC targets US airbases in Iraq in response to assassination of General Soleimani

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has targeted US airbases in Iraq.

Read more:

• 34 US troops suffered concussion, brain injury in Iranian strike: Pentagon

Elsewhere in his tweet, Araqchi described the US maximum pressure policy as a clear "big failure" and added, "WH hawks -- understand nothing about Iran -- still insist!"

He then pointed to a new US threat to assassinate the successor of General Soleimani and said, "Now juniors in DoS-too blind to see mass demonstrations-threaten another General!"

US special representative for Iran Brian Hook has threatened the Islamic Republic with yet another act of state terrorism, saying Washington will assassinate the successor of the late IRGC commander as well if he follows in the path of the martyred general.

US threatens to assassinate new chief of elite Quds Force of IRGC

The US special representative for Iran says the successor to the IRGC Quds Force Commander Lieutenant General Soleimani, who was assassinated in a US drone strike, will face the same fate if he follows in the same path.

“If (Esmail) Qaani follows the same path of killing Americans then he will meet the same fate,” Hook said.

Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi said on Thursday that the US threat to assassinate the new commander of the IRGC’s Quds Force is in fact an official publicizing of state terrorism.

US officially publicizing state terrorism by threatening new Quds Force chief: Iran

Iran says US threat to assassinate the new commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)’s Quds Force is in fact an official publicizing of state terrorism.

"The remarks by this State Department official are an official publicizing and blatant unveiling of targeted and state terrorism by the United States," the Iranian spokesperson added.

Read more:

• Russia condemns US “unacceptable” threats to assassinate new Quds Force commander
• Iran: Region facing dangerous situation due to US combination of arrogance, ignorance

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