Iran blacklists 51 Americans over Qasem Soleimani's assassination

Iran's Foreign Ministry has blacklisted 51 more US individuals for their "roles" in the assassination of former military commander Qasem Soleimani.

In a statement on Saturday, the Ministry said the new list of sanctioned American individuals, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and former National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien, was in line with implementing Iran's law on "combating human rights violations and the adventurous and terrorist acts of the US in the region", reports Xinhua news agency.

"The designated persons, as the case may be, have taken part in decision-making, organising, 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 US President Donald Trump and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, among others, were previously listed to be sanctioned for the same reason, according to the statement.

A US 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 January 3, 2020.

In a public address here on January 3 to mark Soleimani's second death anniversary, 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.

--IANS

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