Iran on Monday issued an arrest warrant for US President Donald Trump over the drone attack that killed its top general, Qasem Soleimani, in January. Trump tops the Iranian list of 36 people who have warrants for their arrest in the incident.
The country’s Attorney General Ali Alqasi Mehr says Trump would be prosecuted as soon as he steps down from the presidency. Iran has asked Interpol to issue a Red Notice for all 36 individuals, though it is unlikely that the agency will entertain the request. In a statement post the development, Interpol said it “would not consider requests of this nature” given that its rules and constitution forbids the organisation from activities of political, military, religious or racial in character.
Meanwhile, US Special Representative for Iran, Brian Hook, responded to the move calling it a “political stunt” and said no one would take it seriously and Iranians would rather appear “foolish”.
Soleimani was killed in January along with five others, when a US drone struck his team at the Baghdad airport. The deputy head of Iran-backed Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces(PMF) was also killed in the attack. Related to the event, a spokesperson for Iran’s judiciary had announced early this month that an Iranian citizen had been sentenced to death for allegedly working for foreign intelligence agencies.
While the killing was condemned by Iran and its allies, the Trump administration viewed Soleimani as a ruthless killer who “should have been taken out by previous presidents.’ Pentagon too blamed Soleimani, holding him responsible for deaths of hundreds of Americans and US allies in the months leading up to his killing.
