The back and forth battle of words between US and Iran took on a new turn as the Pentagon struck down the Iran General of the Quds Force in an air raid.
According to the reports, Gen Qaseem Soleimani was leaving the premises of Baghdad airport with Iraqi militia chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis when their convoy got hit by US drone. The US holds Iran responsible for provoking the attack on their embassy a few days back and conducting clandestine operations in the Iraqi soil.
The Pentagon has stated that the strike was carried out as a “defensive action” on the orders of the US President Donald Trump. The Islamic Republic has condemned the attack, calling it as a “foolish and dangerous” act of “international terrorism”. The Trump administration had identified the Iranian Quds Forces as terrorists last year.
Iran’s Gen Soleimani had earlier warned the US that any confrontation with the Islamic Republic will bring a devastating end to America. He was considered as the mastermind behind Iran’s instrumental influence in escalating regional tensions between Israel and Saudi Arabia. His efforts to fight the ISIS in Syria gave him national recognition from being a war hero to that of a popular icon.
While America has deployed its forces in Kuwait to combat any retaliation, the outcome following the strikes is unpredictable. The escalating tension between the two countries has set the oil prices soaring high globally as the market opened Friday morning.
