Reactions To The 2020 Baghdad International Airport Airstrike
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The
killing Killing, Killings, or The Killing may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Killing'' (film), a 2018 Japanese film * ''The Killing'' (film), a 1956 film noir directed by Stanley Kubrick Television * ''The Killing'' (Danish TV serie ...
of Iranian Major General and
Quds Force The Quds Force ( fa, نیروی قدس, niru-ye qods, Jerusalem Force) is one of five branches of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) specializing in unconventional warfare and military intelligence operations. U.S. Army's Iraq War ...
commander
Qasem Soleimani Qasem Soleimani ( fa, قاسم سلیمانی, ; 11 March 19573January 2020) was an Iranian military officer who served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). From 1998 until his assassination in 2020, he was the commander of the Quds F ...
in Iraq by the United States brought strong reactions from around the world.


United Nations

A BBC article on 9 July 2020, has a link to the Report of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions (5 June – 3 July 2020) which states:
"Accordingly, in light of the evidence that the US has provided to date, the targeting of General Soleimani, and the deaths of those accompanying him, constitute an arbitrary killing for which, under IHRL, the US is responsible. The strike was in violation of Art. 2(4) of the UN Charter with insufficient evidence provided of an ongoing or imminent attack. No evidence has been provided that General Soleimani specifically was planning an imminent attack against US interests, particularly in Iraq, for which immediate action was necessary and would have been justified. No evidence has been provided that a drone strike in a third country was necessary or that the harm caused to that country was proportionate to the harm allegedly averted. While there is information suggesting that the US requested, at least in December 2019, that Iraq take action against Kata'ib Hezbollah, no evidence has been provided that Iraq was consulted on how to alleviate any threats posed to the US arising from the visit of General Soleimani, such that Iraq should bear the burden of addressing those threats. No evidence has been produced that there was no time for the US to seek aid from the international community, including the UNSC, in addressing the alleged imminent threats. Major General Soleimani was in charge of Iran military strategy, and actions, in Syria and Iraq. But absent an actual imminent threat to life, the course of action taken by the US was unlawful."


Iran

Supreme Leader
Ali Khamenei Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei ( fa, سید علی حسینی خامنه‌ای, ; born 19 April 1939) is a Twelver Shia ''marja and the second and current Supreme Leader of Iran, in office since 1989. He was previously the third president o ...
declared three days of mourning, and vowed to take "harsh revenge" against the U.S. President
Hassan Rouhani Hassan Rouhani ( fa, حسن روحانی, Standard Persian pronunciation: ; born Hassan Fereydoun ( fa, حسن فریدون, links=no); 12 November 1948) is an Iranian politician who served as the seventh president of Iran from 2013 to 2021. ...
also said that Iran "will take revenge". Foreign Minister
Mohammad Javad Zarif Mohammad Javad Zarif Khansari ( fa, محمدجواد ظریف خوانساری, Mohammad-Javād Zarīf Khānsāri ; ; born 8 January 1960) is an Iranian career diplomat and academic. He was the foreign minister of Iran from 2013 until 2021 in th ...
posted on Twitter that the attack was "an extremely dangerous and foolish escalation" and released a statement saying that "the brutality and stupidity of American terrorist forces in assassinating Commander Soleimani... will undoubtedly make the tree of resistance in the region and the world more prosperous." But in the leaked audiotape, he declared that "by assassinating oleimaniin Iraq, the United States delivered a major blow to Iran, more damaging than if it had wiped out an entire city in an attack".
Majid Takht-Ravanchi Majid Takht-Ravanchi (also Takht-e-Ravanchi, fa, ‌مجید تخت‌روانچی, born 15 October 1958, in Tehran) is an Iranian diplomat. He served as the Ambassador of Iran to the United Nations from 2019 to 2022. Education Takht-Ravanchi ho ...
, the
Permanent Representative of Iran to the United Nations The Ambassador of Iran to the United Nations is the leader of the delegation of Iran to the United Nations. The position is more formally known as the "Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations”, with the r ...
, wrote in an official letter to the
United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the Organs of the United Nations, six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international security, international peace and security, recommending the admi ...
and Secretary-General
António Guterres António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres ( , ; born 30 April 1949) is a Portuguese politician and diplomat. Since 2017, he has served as secretary-general of the United Nations, the ninth person to hold this title. A member of the Portuguese Socia ...
: "by any measure, is an obvious example of State terrorism and, as a criminal act, constitutes a gross violation of the fundamental principles of international law, including, in particular, those stipulated in the Charter of the United Nations". Minister of Information and Communications Technology Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi compared Trump to
ISIL An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...
,
Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then ...
, and
Genghis Khan ''Chinggis Khaan'' ͡ʃʰiŋɡɪs xaːŋbr />Mongol script: ''Chinggis Qa(gh)an/ Chinggis Khagan'' , birth_name = Temüjin , successor = Tolui (as regent)Ögedei Khan , spouse = , issue = , house = Borjigin , ...
, also calling him a "terrorist in a suit." Former IRGC commander
Mohsen Rezaee Mohsen Rezaee ( fa, محسن رضایی, born Sabzevar Rezaee Mirgha'ed ( fa, سبزوار رضایی میرقائد) on 1 September 1954) is an Iranian conservative politician affiliated with the Resistance Front of Islamic Iran and senior milit ...
posted that " oleimanijoined his martyred brothers, but we will take vigorous revenge on America." Soleimani's daughter Zeinab Soleimani said during her father's funeral that "the families of the American soldiers in western Asia will spend their days waiting for the death of their children." On 4 January, a red flag unfurled above the dome of Jamkaran Mosque in response to the airstrike, that according to ''Washington Examiner'', symbolizes vengeance. While being broadcast on Iran's Channel One, the eulogist at Soleimani's funeral procession addressed a crowd during processions at
Mashhad Mashhad ( fa, مشهد, Mašhad ), also spelled Mashad, is the List of Iranian cities by population, second-most-populous city in Iran, located in the relatively remote north-east of the country about from Tehran. It serves as the capital of R ...
and called for a bounty of US$80 million (roughly US$1 for every Iranian citizen) to be placed on Donald Trump. On 7 January, Iran's parliament approved a €200 million increase in the Quds Force's budget, to be used in two months. Iran's parliament also voted to declare the
United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...
to be a
terrorist organization A number of national governments and two international organizations have created lists of organizations that they designate as terrorist. The following list of designated terrorist groups lists groups designated as terrorist by current and fo ...
. On 8 January, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani praised Qasem Soleimani's merits on fighting ISIS, al-Nusra and
al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...
and announced, Iran's "final answer to his assassination will be to kick all US forces out of the region".


Reactions from Iranian opposition groups

* The
People's Mojahedin of Iran The People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), also known as Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK) or Mojahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO) ( fa, سازمان مجاهدين خلق ايران, sâzmân-e mojâhedīn-e khalq-e īrân), is an Iranian pol ...
, an exiled Iranian militant group, welcomed the killing of Soleimani. Its leader
Maryam Rajavi Maryam Rajavi ( fa, مریم رجوی, , fa, مریم قجر عضدانلو) is a leader of the People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK), an organization advocating for the overthrow of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Iranian governmen ...
, the wife of the disappeared
Massoud Rajavi Massoud Rajavi ( fa, مسعود رجوی, born 18 August 1948 – disappeared 13 March 2003) became the leader of the People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK) in 1979. In 1985, he married Maryam Rajavi, who became the co-leader of the MEK. After leaving ...
, stated that the killing is an "irreparable blow for the regime of the mullahs" while she accused Soleimani of being "one of the biggest criminals in Iran's history" and "personally implicated in the massacre of thousands of people in the region". * The exiled
Tudeh Party of Iran The Tudeh Party of Iran ( fa-at, حزب تودۀ ایران, Ḥezb-e Tūde-ye Īrān, lit=Party of the Masses of Iran) is an Iranian communist party. Formed in 1941, with Soleiman Mirza Eskandari as its head, it had considerable influence in i ...
condemned the airstrike, while simultaneously criticizing the Iranian regime for intervening in both Iraq and Lebanon. * Reza Pahlavi II, heir to the throne of the
Shah Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...
of the defunct
Imperial State of Iran Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texas ...
, strongly backed the airstrike and killing of Soleimani saying that it is "a breakthrough that is positive for the region."


Iraq

Outgoing Prime Minister
Adel Abdul Mahdi Adil Abdul-Mahdi al-Muntafiki ( ar, عادل عبد المهدي المنتفكي, born 1 January 1942) is an Iraqi politician who served as Prime Minister of Iraq from October 2018 until May 2020, hundreds of protestors of ''Tishreen revoluti ...
condemned the attack, calling it an assassination and stating that the strike was an act of aggression and a breach of Iraqi sovereignty which would lead to war in Iraq and declared three days of national mourning. He said the strike violated the agreement on the presence of U.S. forces in Iraq and that safeguards for Iraq's security and sovereignty should be met with legislation. The media office of the Iraqi military's joint operations forces posted a photo of a destroyed vehicle on fire after the attack. The speaker of Iraq's parliament Mohammed al Halbousi vowed to "put an end to U.S. presence" in Iraq. On January 5 in reaction to the airstrikes the
Iraqi parliament The Council of Representatives ( ar, مجلس النواب, Majlis an-Nuwwāb al-ʿIrāqiyy; ku, ئه‌نجومه‌نی نوێنه‌ران, ''Enjumen-e Nûnerên''), usually referred to simply as the Parliament is the unicameral legislature o ...
passed a bill calling for the expulsion of US troops from the country.
Muqtada al-Sadr Muqtada al-Sadr ( ar, مقتدى الصدر, Muqtadā aṣ-Ṣadr; born 4 August 1974) is an Iraqi politician and militia leader. He is the leader of the Sadrist Movement and the leader of the Peace Companies, a successor to the militia he had p ...
, leader of the
Sadrist Movement The Sadrist Movement ( ar, التيار الصدري ') is an Iraqi Islamic national movement led by Muqtada al-Sadr. The movement draws wide support from across Iraqi society and especially from the Shi'a poor in the country. The most important ...
and the Saraya al-Salam militia, ordered his followers to "prepare to defend Iraq". He later called for ceasefire. After the Iranian missile attack on U.S. forces in Iraq, Iran-backed Iraqi militia commander
Qais Khazali Qais Hadi Sayed Hasan al-Khazali ( ar, قيس هادي سيد حسن الخزعلي; born 20 June 1974) is best known as the founder and leader of the Iran-backed Special Groups in Iraq from June 2006 until his capture by British forces in Marc ...
said that Iran had made its initial response for the United States killing its top general, and it was now time for Iraq to give its initial response to the assassination of Popular Mobilization Forces's deputy commander
Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis Jamal Ja'far Muhammad Ali Al Ibrahim ( ar, جمال جعفر محمد علي آل إبراهيم ', 16 Nov 1954 – 2 January 2020), known by the kunya Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis ( ar, أبو مهدي المهندس, lit=Father of Mahdi, the Engine ...
. On 24 January, several hundred thousand Iraqis protested against U.S. military presence in Iraq and called for them to leave the country after Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called for a "Million Man March." Iraqi President
Barham Salih Barham Salih ( ku, بەرھەم ساڵح, Berhem Salih; ar, برهم صالح; born 12 September 1960) is an Iraqi Kurdish politician who served as the eighth president of Iraq from 2018 to 2022. He is the former prime minister of the Kurdista ...
tweeted, "Iraqis insist on a state with complete sovereignty that will not be breached." In January 2021, a judge in Baghdad's court issued an arrest warrant for President Donald Trump.


United States

President Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
tweeted pictures of the
American flag The national flag of the United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the c ...
shortly before the United States confirmed its responsibility for the attacks, at 3:00a.m. GMT on 3 January 2020 (6:00 am in Baghdad). In a subsequent public statement he said he had authorized the strike because Soleimani was plotting "imminent and sinister attacks" on Americans. He added, "We took action last night to stop a war. We did not take action to start a war." He also said that he did not seek a regime change in Iran. On 4 January, Trump tweeted that 52 Iranian targets (representing the 52 American hostages in the 1979–1981
Iran hostage crisis On November 4, 1979, 52 United States diplomats and citizens were held hostage after a group of militarized Iranian college students belonging to the Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line, who supported the Iranian Revolution, took over t ...
) had been selected if Iran "strikes any Americans, or American assets". In the same tweet, Trump also mentioned targeting Iranian "cultural sites", an act that would constitute a violation of international law under the Hague Convention, but not if used by Iran as cover for weapons that could target U.S. interests. Trump insisted he would not hesitate to destroy such targets even after some said it could be considered a war crime. On the day of the strike, U.S. secretary of state
Mike Pompeo Michael Richard Pompeo (; born December 30, 1963) is an American politician, diplomat, and businessman who served under President Donald Trump as director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 2017 to 2018 and as the 70th United State ...
asserted the attack was ordered by Trump to disrupt an "imminent attack" by Soleimani operatives, although subsequent reports on that rationale were mixed. After the strike, Pompeo tweeted a video he said showed Iraqis celebrating Soleimani's death on the streets of
Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
, although the video showed no more than 40 individuals among a crowd of thousands and the minor demonstration ended within two minutes. In a tweet, former National Security Advisor
John Bolton John Robert Bolton (born November 20, 1948) is an American attorney, diplomat, Republican consultant, and political commentator. He served as the 25th United States Ambassador to the United Nations from 2005 to 2006, and as the 26th United Sta ...
called the airstrike "a long in the making, decisive blow against Iran's malign Quds Force activities worldwide... Hope this is the first step to regime change in Tehran." Vice President Mike Pence claimed without evidence that Soleimani was involved in the
9/11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated Suicide attack, suicide List of terrorist incidents, terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, ...
.
US Ambassador to the United Nations The United States ambassador to the United Nations is the leader of the U.S. delegation, the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. The position is formally known as the permanent representative of the United States of America to the United Nations ...
Kelly Craft Kelly Dawn Craft (; born February 24, 1962) is an American businesswoman, political donor, politician, and former diplomat who served as the United States ambassador to the United Nations from 2019 to 2021. Craft previously served as the United ...
wrote a letter to the
UN Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, and ...
in which she said that the act was one of
self-defense Self-defense (self-defence primarily in Commonwealth English) is a countermeasure that involves defending the health and well-being of oneself from harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of force in ...
. At the same time, she wrote in the letter that the US stood "ready to engage without preconditions in serious negotiations with Iran, with the goal of preventing further endangerment of international peace and security or escalation by the Iranian regime." When asked about the possible responses that Iran could take to this action, former Deputy Secretary of Defense Michael Mulroy said that the IRGC Quds Force has a worldwide reach and that targets would include American civilians, and that Iraq might decide to expel U.S. forces in their country. Former Defense Secretary and CIA Director
Leon Panetta Leon Edward Panetta (born June 28, 1938) is an American Democratic Party politician who has served in several different public office positions, including Secretary of Defense, CIA Director, White House Chief of Staff, Director of the Office of ...
warned that the U.S. is closer to war with Iran than at any time in the last 40 years. Characterizing the attack as "murder", "assassination", "act of war", or something else proved controversial. Some critics of Trump described the attack as a
wag the dog ''Wag the Dog'' is a 1997 American political satire black comedy film produced and directed by Barry Levinson and starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro. The film centers on a spin doctor and a Hollywood producer who fabricate a war in Alb ...
incident to distract from impeachment proceedings, parallel to the bombing of Iraq,
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
, and
Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
by president
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
during his own impeachment process, which had itself been seen as reminiscent of the contemporaneous film''
Wag the Dog ''Wag the Dog'' is a 1997 American political satire black comedy film produced and directed by Barry Levinson and starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro. The film centers on a spin doctor and a Hollywood producer who fabricate a war in Alb ...
''. In 2011 and 2012, Trump asserted that President Obama would start a war with Iran to improve his reelection chances. According to a Facebook spokesperson,
Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
and its parent company
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
were picking up posts "that voice support for slain Iranian commander
Qassem Soleimani Qasem Soleimani ( fa, قاسم سلیمانی, ; 11 March 19573January 2020) was an Iranian military officer who served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). From 1998 until his assassination in 2020, he was the commander of the Quds F ...
to comply with US sanctions".


Domestic U.S. political reactions

American politicians reacted along party lines. Republicans generally supported the mission, while Democrats blamed Soleimani "for the deaths of hundreds of American servicemen during the Iraq war" but questioned the wisdom, timing, and motivation for the attack.
Senate Majority Leader The positions of majority leader and minority leader are held by two United States senators and members of the party leadership of the United States Senate. They serve as the chief spokespersons for their respective political parties holding t ...
Mitch McConnell Addison Mitchell McConnell III (born February 20, 1942) is an American politician and retired attorney serving as the senior United States senator from Kentucky and the Senate minority leader since 2021. Currently in his seventh term, McConne ...
celebrated the attack, referring to Soleimani as "Iran's master terrorist". House of Representatives Speaker
Nancy Pelosi Nancy Patricia Pelosi (; ; born March 26, 1940) is an American politician who has served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives since 2019 and previously from 2007 to 2011. She has represented in the United States House of ...
referred to the strike as "provocative and disproportionate", and introduced a "war powers resolution" requiring Trump's administration to end hostilities with Iran not approved by Congress within 30 days. All the Democratic candidates for the 2020 U.S. presidential election, political challengers to Trump, largely condemned the airstrike. Former Vice President Joe Biden warned of further escalation and said that Trump "just tossed a stick of dynamite into a tinderbox". Senator
Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 2007 ...
said that "Trump's dangerous escalation brings us closer to another disastrous war in the Middle East that could cost countless lives and trillions more dollars." Senator
Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth Ann Warren ( née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the senior United States senator from Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party and regarded as a ...
described the attack as wag the dog, an attempt by Trump to distract from the impeachment process through an act of war.
South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 United S ...
Mayor
Pete Buttigieg Peter Paul Montgomery Buttigieg ( ; ; Sometimes pronounced or , but not by Buttigieg himself. born January 19, 1982) is an American politician and former military officer who is currently serving as the United States secretary of transp ...
said the Trump administration must plan for possible consequences before taking action, must ensure its action is supported by its allies, and must take only actions that will benefit U.S. national interests and stability in the region. Representative
Tulsi Gabbard Tulsi Gabbard (; born April 12, 1981) is an American politician, United States Army Reserve officer and political commentator who served as the U.S. representative for Hawaii's 2nd congressional district from 2013 to 2021. Gabbard was the firs ...
called the airstrike an act of war by President Trump and a violation of the
U.S. Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the natio ...
, arguing that the president does not have Congressional authorization for such an act. At the seventh Democratic Party presidential debate hosted by
CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
and the ''
Des Moines Register ''The Des Moines Register'' is the daily morning newspaper of Des Moines, Iowa. History Early period The first newspaper in Des Moines was the ''Iowa Star''. In July 1849, Barlow Granger began the paper in an abandoned log cabin by the junction ...
'' at
Drake University Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, law, and pharmacy. Drake's law school is among the 25 oldest in the United States. Hi ...
in
Des Moines Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...
,
Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
, the candidates
Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 2007 ...
,
Tom Steyer Thomas Fahr Steyer (born June 27, 1957) is an American climate investor, businessman, hedge fund manager, philanthropist, environmentalist, and liberal activist. Steyer is the co-founder and co-chair of Galvanize Climate Solutions, founder and f ...
, and
Pete Buttigieg Peter Paul Montgomery Buttigieg ( ; ; Sometimes pronounced or , but not by Buttigieg himself. born January 19, 1982) is an American politician and former military officer who is currently serving as the United States secretary of transp ...
favored a complete U.S. disengagement from the region, while Joe Biden and
Amy Klobuchar Amy Jean Klobuchar ( ; born May 25, 1960) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Minnesota, a seat she has held since 2007. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), Minne ...
defended retaining
special forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...
in Iraq. Meanwhile, President Trump used the killing of Soleimani to promote his reelection campaign, in which he defended the action at rallies in Toledo and
Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...
. Sanders, along with Representative
Ro Khanna Rohit Khanna (; born September 13, 1976) is an American politician, lawyer, and academic serving as the U.S. representative from California's 17th congressional district since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he defeated eight-term incumbe ...
, announced that they would be introducing legislation to prevent the use of Pentagon funding for military action in Iran without Congressional approval.
Tim Kaine Timothy Michael Kaine (; born February 26, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Virginia since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 38th lieutenant governor of Virgini ...
(D-VA), a member of the Senate
Armed Services A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
and
Foreign Affairs ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and ...
Committees, said, "Congress must act to stop President Trump from entangling America in yet another unnecessary war in the Middle East." In June 2019, Kaine had introduced a resolution to require Congressional authorization before going to war with Iran, and on 3 January 2020 he introduced a similar resolution. Kaine's counterpart,
Mark Warner Mark Robert Warner (born December 15, 1954) is an American businessman and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Virginia, a seat he has held since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, Warner served as the 69th governo ...
(D-VA) said it is not clear that the Trump administration has a clear plan to prevent another endless war in the Middle East. Senator
Rand Paul Randal Howard Paul (born January 7, 1963) is an American physician and politician serving as the junior U.S. senator from Kentucky since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he is a son of former three-time presidential candidate and 12 ...
(R-KY) criticized the airstrikes, saying that it will increase tensions between the two countries. Fox News's
Tucker Carlson Tucker Swanson McNear Carlson (born May 16, 1969) is an American television host, conservative political commentator and writer who has hosted the nightly political talk show ''Tucker Carlson Tonight'' on Fox News since 2016. Carlson began h ...
criticized the killing and "chest-beaters" who promote foreign interventions, particularly Senator
Ben Sasse Benjamin Eric Sasse ( ; born February 22, 1972) is an American politician and academic administrator serving as the junior United States senator for Nebraska since 2015. He is a member of the Republican Party. Born in Plainview, Nebraska, Sass ...
(R-NE). He asked, "By the way, if we're still in Afghanistan, 19 years, sad years, later, what makes us think there's a quick way out of Iran?" New York City Mayor
Bill de Blasio Bill de Blasio (; born Warren Wilhelm Jr., May 8, 1961; later Warren de Blasio-Wilhelm) is an American politician who served as the 109th mayor of New York City from 2014 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he held the office of New Yor ...
expressed strong concerns about potential retaliatory strikes, putting the police department on high alert, including the potential of bag checks at subway stations and vehicle checks at tunnels and bridges. Mayor
Muriel Bowser Muriel Elizabeth Bowser (born August 2, 1972) is an American politician serving since 2015 as the eighth mayor of the District of Columbia. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously represented the 4th ward as a member of the Council ...
of Washington, D.C. said she did not see any immediate threats, but she reminded citizens to report any suspicious activities. President of the
Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, mi ...
,
Richard Haass Richard Nathan Haass (born July 28, 1951) is an American diplomat. He has been president of the Council on Foreign Relations since July 2003, prior to which he was Director of Policy Planning for the United States Department of State and a close ...
, called the airstrike potentially "the most significant development" in the region since the
Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
, and called for the U.S. to prepare for an Iranian retaliation.
Oona A. Hathaway Oona Anne Hathaway (born 1972) is an American professor and lawyer. She is the founder and director of the Center for Global Legal Challenges at Yale Law School. She is also a professor of international and area studies at the MacMillan Center fo ...
, a professor of international law at Yale Law School, evaluated the various legal justifications the Trump Administration gave for the airstrike, compared the attack with similar events of the past and concluded that, "the Soleimani strike defied the U.S. Constitution. If Congress fails to respond effectively, the constitutional order will be broken beyond repair, and the president will be left with the unmitigated power to take the country to war on his own—anywhere, anytime, for any reason."
Medea Benjamin Medea Benjamin (born Susan Benjamin; September 10, 1952) is an American political activist who was the co-founder of Code Pink with Jodie Evans and others.
(the founder of anti-war advocacy group
Code Pink Code Pink: Women for Peace (often stylized as CODEPINK) is a left-wing internationally active non-governmental organization that describes itself as a "grassroots peace and social justice movement working to end U.S.-funded wars and occupations, ...
) and Hillary Mann Leverett (a political risk consultant and former director of Iran affairs at the White House's National Security Council) called the assassination of Soleimani "flatly illegal".


Congressional resolution to limit Trump's war powers

Some members of the
United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
, which generally was not consulted or briefed before the Soleimani strike, sought to restrict the president's ability to conduct future military operations against Iran without congressional consent. On 6January 2020, House Speaker Pelosi announced plans to hold a vote within the week on limiting President Trump's
war powers Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 of the U.S. Constitution, sometimes referred to as the War Powers Clause, vests in the Congress the power to declare war, in the following wording: :'' he Congress shall have Power ...To declare War, grant Lett ...
concerning Iran. On 8January 2020, Pelosi announced that a vote will be held by the entire U.S. House of Representatives on 9January to limit President Trump's war powers concerning any future escalation of conflict with Iran. The
House Rules Committee The Committee on Rules, or more commonly, the Rules Committee, is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is responsible for the rules under which bills will be presented to the House of Representatives, unlike other commit ...
cleared the way for a full House vote by approving parameters which set up a two-hour debate on 9January. The House vote is considered significant, as the
U.S. Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the natio ...
provides that while the president may use the military to defend the country, any
declaration of war A declaration of war is a formal act by which one state (polity), state announces existing or impending war activity against another. The declaration is a performative speech act (or the signing of a document) by an authorized party of a nationa ...
must be approved by Congress. Trump criticized the effort, arguing that congressional approval should not be needed to militarily engage Iran "because you have to be able to make split-second decisions sometimes." On 9 January 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives considered the measure and eventually voted 224–194 to approve it.
White House Deputy Press Secretary The White House Office of the Press Secretary, or the Press Office, is responsible for gathering and disseminating information to three principal groups: the President, the White House staff, and the media. The Office is headed by the White House ...
Hogan Gidley John Hogan Gidley is an American political aide who served as White House Deputy Press Secretary from 2019 to 2020 in the Donald Trump administration. In July 2020, Gidley became the press secretary of President Donald Trump's reelection campaig ...
criticized the resolution's passage, calling it "just another political move" and an attempt to "hinder the President's authority to protect America and our interests in the region..." It was unclear if the resolution was binding or non-binding and whether the Senate would ultimately approve it;
House Minority Leader Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives, also known as floor leaders, are congresspeople who coordinate legislative initiatives and serve as the chief spokespersons for their parties on the House floor. These leaders are ele ...
Kevin McCarthy Kevin Owen McCarthy (born January 26, 1965) is an American politician, serving as Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives, House Minority Leader in the United States House of Representatives since 2019. A member of the Rep ...
called it a "meaningless vote" while Democrats insisted it sent a strong message that Trump must work with Congress on national security. The
constitutionality Constitutionality is said to be the condition of acting in accordance with an applicable constitution; "Webster On Line" the status of a law, a procedure, or an act's accordance with the laws or set forth in the applicable constitution. When l ...
of the resolution is unclear since the
U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
limited
legislative veto The legislative veto describes features of at least two different forms of government, monarchies and those based on the separation of powers, applied to the authority of the monarch in the first and to the authority of the legislature in the sec ...
with the '' Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Chadha'' decision in 1983 in a majority opinion written by Chief Justice
Warren E. Burger Warren Earl Burger (September 17, 1907 – June 25, 1995) was an American attorney and jurist who served as the 15th chief justice of the United States from 1969 to 1986. Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Burger graduated from the William Mitchell ...
. Defense Secretary Esper argued that the President has full authority to attack Iran in response to attacks by Iraqi proxy militias under the 2002
Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq The Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002,Article II of the Constitution, and has discouraged Congress from adopting the resolution. On 13 February, the U.S. Senate voted 55–45 to constrain Trump's ability to wage war on Iran without congressional approval. The bipartisan vote for the
Iran War Powers Resolution The War Powers Resolution (also known as the War Powers Resolution of 1973 or the War Powers Act) () is a federal law intended to check the U.S. president's power to commit the United States to an ...
included eight Republican senators. Trump threatened to veto the resolution. On 14 February, in an unclassified memorandum to Congress, the Trump administration said it was authorised under both the Constitution and the 2002 Authorisation of Use of Military Force Against Iraq. The Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Engel said "The 2002 authorisation was passed to deal with Saddam Hussein. This law had nothing to do with Iran or Iranian government officials in Iraq. To suggest that 18 years later this authorization could justify killing an Iranian official stretches the law far beyond anything Congress ever intended," adding that he "looked forward" to Pompeo testifying in a February 28 hearing. On 11 March, the U.S. House voted 227–186 for the Senate's resolution, sending the Iran War Powers Resolution to the President. On 6 May, Trump vetoed the Iran War Powers Resolution and issued a statement regarding the veto. The Senate attempted to override the veto the following day, needing at least 67 votes to override. The override failed with a vote of 49–44.


U.S. general public

Characterization of the attack as "murder", "assassination", or an "act of war", led to some controversy and debate. Jan Goldman of
The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, commonly known simply as The Citadel, is a public senior military college in Charleston, South Carolina. Established in 1842, it is one of six senior military colleges in the United States. ...
, a leading expert on the role of ethics in intelligence operations, argued that the attack met the criteria for "assassination", adding that "killing anyone on foreign soil that is not a battlefield could be considered unethical".
Peter Singer Peter Albert David Singer (born 6 July 1946) is an Australian moral philosopher, currently the Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University. He specialises in applied ethics and approaches ethical issues from a secular, ...
, Australian moral philosopher and professor of bioethics at
Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
, concluded that if the attack counts as an act of war, then Trump did not have the authority to order it, otherwise, "as an extrajudicial assassination that was not necessary to prevent an imminent attack, it was both illegal and unethical". The hashtags # WorldWarIII and #WWIII trended on social media, along with concerns that the
military draft Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day und ...
might be reinstated. Many Internet memes on the topic became popular on sites such as Twitter and
TikTok TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes. TikTok is an international version ...
. The U.S.
Selective Service System The Selective Service System (SSS) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States government that maintains information on U.S. Citizenship of the Unite ...
website crashed with many looking for information on draft requirements and exemptions. The agency attributed the crash to "the spread of misinformation". Members of Catholic communities in the United States particularly raised concerns about its morality.
Sojourners Community The Sojourners Community is an intentional community that was started in the early 1970s by a group of students at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. The founders had the desire to further explore the relationship between their orthodox Protesta ...
leader
Jim Wallis James E. Wallis Jr. (born June 4, 1948) is an American theologian, writer, teacher and political activist. He is best known as the founder and editor of ''Sojourners'' magazine and as the founder of the Washington, D.C.-based Christian commun ...
called the attack "not justifiable" and "immoral". Documentary film director and activist
Michael Moore Michael Francis Moore (born April 23, 1954) is an American filmmaker, author and left-wing activist. His works frequently address the topics of globalization and capitalism. Moore won the 2002 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for ' ...
opposed the assassination.
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...
actors
Rose McGowan Rósa Arianna "Rose" McGowan (born September 5, 1973) is an American actress. After her film debut in a brief role in the comedy ''Encino Man'' (1992), McGowan achieved wider recognition for her performance in the dark comedy ''The Doom Generati ...
and
John Cusack John Paul Cusack (; born June 28, 1966)(28 June 1996)Today's birthdays ''Santa Cruz Sentinel'', ("Actors John Cusack is 30") is an American actor, producer, screenwriter and political activist. He is a son of filmmaker Dick Cusack, and his ol ...
criticized Trump's airstrike, with McGowan describing Americans as "being held hostage by a terrorist regime," while Cusack remarked that Trump was in "full fascist 101 mode."


Global reactions


Supranational

* temporarily suspended its training mission in Iraq on 4 January. A spokesperson said in an emailed statement, "The safety of our personnel in Iraq is paramount. We continue to take all precautions necessary." *
Secretary-General Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...
António Guterres expressed concern over the escalation and called for leaders to "exercise maximum restraint".


G20 states

* The government said they "were worried about the escalating situation in the Middle East". It also said the Argentine people acknowledges terrorism ever since suffering two terrorist attacks in the past (the Israeli embassy attack and
AMIA bombing The AMIA bombing occurred on 18 July 1994 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and targeted the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA; ), a Jewish Community Centre. Executed as a suicidal attack, a bomb-laden van was driven into the AMIA buildi ...
), and urged all parties to diplomacy and restraint. On 4 January 2020,
Argentine President The president of Argentina ( es, Presidente de Argentina), officially known as the president of the Argentine Nation ( es, Presidente de la Nación Argentina), is both head of state and head of government of Argentina. Under Constitution of Ar ...
Alberto Fernández Alberto Ángel Fernández (; born 2 April 1959) is an Argentine politician, lawyer and professor, serving as president of Argentina since 2019. Born in Buenos Aires, Fernández attended the University of Buenos Aires, where he earned his law ...
ordered the armed forces to secure the borders and reinforced security at the main airports, the American airliners and the U.S. embassy in response to the operation. * Prime Minister
Scott Morrison Scott John Morrison (; born 13 May 1968) is an Australian politician. He served as the 30th prime minister of Australia and as Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia from 2018 to 2022, and is currently the member of parliament (MP) for t ...
said he was concerned over the events and calls for calm and de-escalation in the region. *'s president
Jair Bolsonaro Jair Messias Bolsonaro (; born 21 March 1955) is a Brazilian politician and retired military officer who has been the 38th president of Brazil since 1 January 2019. He was elected in 2018 as a member of the Social Liberal Party, which he turn ...
said he supports any "initiative against terrorism", also reaffirmed his support for U.S. President Donald Trump in the action. Subsequently, the Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a communiqué, assumed his "support for the fight against the scourge of terrorism..." * urged restraint and de-escalation of the tensions, but it also said it has long been concerned by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force, led by Soleimani, whose "aggressive actions have had a destabilizing effect in the region and beyond". However, the
Conservative Party of Canada The Conservative Party of Canada (french: Parti conservateur du Canada), colloquially known as the Tories, is a federal political party in Canada. It was formed in 2003 by the merger of the two main right-leaning parties, the Progressive Con ...
under
Andrew Scheer Andrew James Scheer (born May 20, 1979) is a Canadian politician who has served as the member of Parliament (MP) for Regina—Qu'Appelle since 2004. Scheer served as the 35th speaker of the House of Commons from 2011 to 2015, and was the lead ...
, the opposition party in the
House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...
, welcomed Soleimani's death and stated "Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has long been a tool of repression and violence in Iran and across the world" while further calling Soleimani who "was at the centre of IRGC operations and bear responsibility for violence, destruction and a destabilizing influence across the Middle East." The CPC asked the
Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau ( , ; born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who is the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada. He has served as the prime minister of Canada since 2015 and as the leader of the Liberal Party since 2 ...
-led
Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...
government to label IRGC as a terrorist organization. * appealed for restraint from all sides, "especially the United States", stating that China has always opposed the use of force in international relations. During the meeting in Baghdad on 6 January, Zhang Tao, the Chinese Ambassador, said to Iraq's caretaker Prime Minister al-Mahdi that "China is keen to increase security and military cooperation in Iraq". * deputy minister for foreign affairs, Amelie de Montchalin, told RTL radio, "We are waking up in a more dangerous world. Military escalation is always dangerous." According to Agnès Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial killing, "the killings of Qassem Suleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis violates international human rights law". She said the U.S. is required to confirm "the individual targeted constituted an imminent threat to others." Callamard also described the killing of other individuals alongside Soleimani as "unlawful" * advised that the Middle East has reached "a dangerous escalation point" and the conflict can only be resolved diplomatically. German foreign minister
Heiko Maas Heiko Josef Maas (; born 19 September 1966) is a German lawyer and politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) who served as the Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs (2018–2021) and as the Federal Minister of Justice and Consumer Protectio ...
said that the airstrikes had not "made it easier to reduce tensions", but noted they "followed a series of dangerous Iranian provocations". Part of the German military contingent in Iraq was moved to other countries due to "safety concerns". *'s Minister of External Affairs & Foreign Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar had expressed serious concerns over ongoing tensions in
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
. He said, "India remains deeply concerned, and will stay in touch." He also had telephonic conversation with both countries' foreign ministers, Mohammad Javad Zarif and U.S. Secretary Mike Pompeo, on the present situation in Middle East, and highlighted India's stakes and concerns. India further urged both countries to be restraint and maintain peace. Shia groups in India also organised protest against the killing of Soleimani in
New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...
,
Kargil Kargil ( lbj, ) is a city and a joint capital of the union territory of Ladakh, India. It is also the headquarters of the Kargil district. It is the second-largest city in Ladakh after Leh. Kargil is located to the east of Srinagar in Jam ...
,
Budgam Budgam (), known as Badgom (; ) in Kashmiri language, Kashmiri, is a town in Budgam district in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir, India. In the 2001 census, it was recorded as having a notified area ...
,
Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...
and
Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...
. *'s
Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...
issued a statement requesting parties to refrain from further violent actions, and called on Indonesian citizens in Iraq to "remain vigilant". *'s prime minister
Giuseppe Conte Giuseppe Conte (; born 8 August 1964) is an Italian jurist, academic, and politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy, prime minister of Italy from June 2018 to February 2021. He has been the president of the Five Star Movement (M5S) sin ...
stated that his government target is to "avoid further escalation". He also added that a "European action is necessary" to prevent that rising tensions could fuel further "terrorism and violent extremism". However, opposition leader
Matteo Salvini Matteo Salvini (; born 9 March 1973) is an Italian politician who has served as Deputy Prime Minister of Italy and Italian Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport since 2022. He has been List of Federal ...
applauded the killing of Soleimani, whom he called, "one of the most dangerous and pitiless men in the world, an Islamic terrorist, an enemy of the West, of Israel, of rights and of freedoms". * announced his Prime Minister,
Shinzo Abe Shinzo Abe ( ; ja, 安倍 晋三, Hepburn romanization, Hepburn: , ; 21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), President of the Lib ...
will visit Saudi Arabia, Oman and the United Arab Emirates between 12 and 15 January. About the killing, Japan expressed concern and that Abe expects to "contribute to peace and stability in the region through diplomatic efforts to ease tensions." The trip was canceled due to the Iranian strikes on a U.S. base in Iraq on 8 January. *
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
n government was monitoring the security situation of around 1,600 South Koreans living in Iraq. *’s government was concerned about the recent events in Iraq and Iran and asked all parties involved to act with restraint and avoid escalating regional tensions. *'s Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov (russian: Сергей Викторович Лавров, ; born 21 March 1950) is a Russian diplomat and politician who has served as the Foreign Minister of Russia since 2004. Lavrov served as the Permanent Represe ...
stated that, "U.S. had embarked illegal power move" and condemned the air strike saying that it believed the incident will raise Middle East tensions. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman
Maria Zakharova Maria Vladimirovna Zakharova (russian: Мария Владимировна Захарова; born 24 December 1975) is the Director of the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (Spokesw ...
said that, "Washington was looking to remake the Middle East, a call Moscow would have made in the heady days of the regime change wars that first started in Iraq in 2003 under George W. Bush's 'pre-emptive strike' policy." According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, "Russia has offered Iraq their S-400 air defense system to protect their airspace". Since the start of the country's civil war nearly nine years ago, that was the second time, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin arrived in Damascus meeting with
Bashar al-Assad Bashar Hafez al-Assad, ', Levantine pronunciation: ; (, born 11 September 1965) is a Syrian politician who is the 19th president of Syria, since 17 July 2000. In addition, he is the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and the ...
on 7 January. * called for restraint and said the events in Iraq were the result of previous "terrorist acts". During a press conference on 6 January, Foreign Minister
Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah bin Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud (Arabic فيصل بن فرحان آل سعود, DMG Faiṣal b. Farḥān Āl Saʿūd; born 1 November 1974 in Frankfurt am Main) is a Saudi Arabian diplomat and politician and ...
stated that Saudi Arabia was "very keen that the situation in the region doesn't escalate any further." *
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation,
Naledi Pandor Grace Naledi Mandisa Pandor (née Matthews; born 7 December 1953) is a South African politician, educator and academic serving as the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation since 2019. She has served as a Member of Parliament (MP) ...
, stated: "It is crucial for all sides to remain calm and desist from taking any further action that will exacerbate the already fragile situation. South Africa emphasises its principled view that conflicts should be resolved through political dialogue rather than resorting to the use of force". * said that it believed that the air strike increases insecurity and instability in the region and that it was deeply concerned by the rising tensions between the United States and Iran. Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician serving as the List of presidents of Turkey, 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as prime minister of Turkey from 2003 to 2014 and as Lis ...
expressed his distaste for external interference, which he said destabilizes the region. Erdogan denied Russian media reports that he had described Soleimani as a "martyr" in a phone call with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. * encouraged all involved parties to react with caution, saying "further conflict is in none of our interests." However, British foreign minister
Dominic Raab Dominic Rennie Raab (; born 25 February 1974) is a British politician who has served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Secretary of State for Justice, and Lord Chancellor since October 2022, having previously served from 2021 to ...
noted that his government had "always recognized the aggressive threat posed by the Iranian Quds force".
Shadow Foreign Secretary In UK politics, the Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs is a position within the opposition's shadow cabinet that deals mainly with issues surrounding the Foreign Office. If elected, the person serving as ...
Emily Thornberry Emily Anne Thornberry (born 27 July 1960) is a British politician who has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Islington South and Finsbury since 2005. A member of the Labour Party, she has served as Shadow Attorney General for England and Wale ...
condemned the actions of the
United States government The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a fede ...
. She said that she shed no tears over the death, but was fearful of escalating tensions in the region.


Other UN member states

*
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
's
government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
released a statement calling for both parties to prevent further escalations and resolve the crisis through negotiations, and noted that Afghan President
Ashraf Ghani Mohammad Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai (born 19 May 1949) is an Afghan politician, academic, and economist who served as the president of Afghanistan from September 2014 until August 2021, when his government was overthrown by the Taliban. Born in L ...
had requested to Pompeo that U.S. bases in Afghanistan not be used against other countries, in accordance to the bilateral security agreement between the two countries. *'s Prime Minister
Edi Rama Edi Rama (born Edvin Kristaq Rama, 4 July 1964) is an Albanian politician, painter, writer, former university lecturer, publicist and former basketball player, who has served as the 33rd and current Prime Minister of Albania since 2013 and chairm ...
stated that "as a country which recognized a while ago Iran's nefarious activity against the free world, and took clear distance from it, Albania cannot but strongly approve the stance of the US president towards a malicious activist of Teheran's regime. We stand firm with the US and hope everyone does so." Later in the week Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced that Albania was a "small, diabolical country", referring in part to the presence of MEK political refugees in Albania. *'s Foreign Ministry stated: "We are deeply concerned about the recent events in Baghdad, which also led to human casualties. They can further increase the threat to peace in the region and destabilize the situation in the Middle East and beyond. Armenia is in favor of defusing the situation exclusively by peaceful means." Prime Minister
Nikol Pashinyan Nikol Vovayi Pashinyan ( hy, Նիկոլ Վովայի Փաշինյան, ; born 1 June 1975) is an Armenian politician serving as the prime minister of Armenia since 8 May 2018. A journalist by profession, Pashinyan founded his own newspaper in 1 ...
on his Facebook page advised "homegrown politicians who want to spread panic…to sit quietly in their places." *'s Foreign Minister
Elmar Mammadyarov Elmar Maharram oghlu Mammadyarov ( az, Elmar Məhərrəm oğlu Məmmədyarov), born July 2, 1960) is an Azerbaijani diplomat who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan between 7 April 2004 and 16 July 2020. Mammadyarov speaks Russia ...
and discussed over the telephone with Zarif issues of growing tension in light of recent events in the region. "The Azerbaijani side calls on all parties involved to refrain from violence and to be committed to commitments to strengthen regional security. Minister Mammadyarov expressed deep condolences to the leadership and people of the Islamic Republic of Iran over the death of General Soleimani," the Foreign Ministry said. * called for de-escalation. *'s Foreign Affairs Minister
Vladimir Makei Vladimir Vladimirovich Makei (, be, Уладзі́мір Уладзі́міравіч Маке́й, ; 5 August 1958 – 26 November 2022) was a Belarusian politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus. Early life and educa ...
has called on all the parties to show restraint and strive for de-escalation of tensions, and also stressed the need to comply with the principles of international law in order to ensure sustainable international security in global and regional terms. * called for de-escalation. *'s government has condemned the airstrike strongly, the use of missiles for targeted assassination as being "in clear violation of International Law and Iraq's sovereignty." *'s prime minister
Mette Frederiksen Mette Frederiksen (; born 19 November 1977) is a Danish politician who has been Prime Minister of Denmark since June 2019, and Leader of the Social Democrats since June 2015. The second woman to hold either office, she is also the youngest prime ...
called it "a really serious situation". She avoided question on whether the killing was right, instead called for de-escalation. Denmark have about 130 troops in Iraq as part of the U.S.-led coalition there, and following the Iraqi parliament's vote to ask them to leave, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Jeppe Kofod Jeppe Sebastian Kofod (born 14 March 1974) is a Danish politician of the Social Democratic Party who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark between 27 June 2019 to 15 December 2022. Kofod previously served as a Member of the European ...
said: "We are in Iraq to fight ISIL. And that task is not done." Following the subsequent Iranian missile strikes, Denmark temporarily withdrew soldiers to Kuwait, leaving about 30–40 troops on the hit Al-Asad Airbase. *'s
Foreign Ministry In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...
has appealed both Iran and the U.S. to avoid any further escalation and was following developments in Iraq with great concern. *'s president
Sauli Niinistö Sauli Väinämö Niinistö (; born 24 August 1948) is a Finnish politician who has served as president of Finland since March 2012, the 12th person to hold that office. A lawyer by education, Niinistö was Chairman of the National Coalition Part ...
commented that the attack could lead to a cycle which will be difficult to stop and that its effects could be felt even outside region. *n Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not release a statement but David Zalkaliani wrote on his Twitter: "We condemned the recent violent provocative attack on the US Embassy in Baghdad. The United States has a legal right to protect its citizens. It is also time for diplomacy to … ease tensions." *'s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement saying that "Greece is monitoring the developments in Iraq with great concern. The stability of the country and the wider region remains a priority as well as the avoidance of any further escalation. Only this will enable the Iraqi people to return to normal everyday life, free from violence and terrorism. The situation calls for composure and sobriety". *'s prime minister
Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu (; ; born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021. He is currently serving as Leader of the Opposition and Chairman of ...
praised the air strike, saying that Trump had acted "swiftly, forcefully and decisively". He affirmed Israel's alliance with the U.S., saying "Israel stands with the United States in its just struggle for peace, security and self-defense." Israel will convene its security cabinet on 5 January to discuss increased threats due to the killings. They have warned
Hamas Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Bri ...
and other groups in
Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...
against responding. Hamas had earlier expressed "sincere condolences" to Iran's leadership and praised Soleimini's support for the Palestinian struggle. The IDF spokesperson expressed that "Israeli army had no role, this was an American-executed operation." *'s Foreign Affairs Minister
Mukhtar Tleuberdi Mukhtar Beskenuly Tileuberdi ( kk, Мұхтар Бескенұлы Тілеуберді, ''Mūhtar Beskenūly Tıleuberdı'', ; born June 30, 1968) is a Kazakh statesman who served as Ministers of Foreign Affairs (Kazakhstan), Minister of Foreign ...
expressed concern about the aggravation of situation in the region. He urged all parties to exercise restraint to prevent an escalation of the tension and to seek political and diplomatic ways of resolving the conflict. * condemned the attack as a violation of Iraqi sovereignty and an escalation against Iran, while calling for Lebanon and its vicinity to be spared from the repercussions of the incident. * said they were deeply concerned over the situation following the airstrikes and called on all parties concerned to exercise maximum restraint and de-escalate tensions.
Mahathir Mohamad Mahathir bin Mohamad ( ms, محاضير بن محمد, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; ; born 10 July 1925) is a Malaysian politician, author, and physician who served as the 4th and 7th Prime Minister of Malaysia. He held the office ...
,
Prime Minister of Malaysia The prime minister of Malaysia ( ms, Perdana Menteri Malaysia; ms, ڤردان منتري مليسيا, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset) is the head of government of Malaysia. The prime minister directs the executive branch of the fede ...
, compared assassination of Soleimani with
assassination of Jamal Khashoggi On 2 October 2018, Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident journalist was assassinated by agents of the Saudi government at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. Khashoggi was ambushed and strangled by a 15-member squad of Saudi assassins. His body ...
and said it was "illegal" and "immoral". * urged all parties to exercise maximum restraint, engage constructively to de-escalate the situation, and resolve issues through diplomatic means, in accordance with UN Charter and international law. Foreign Minister
Shah Mehmood Qureshi Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Hussain Qureshi ( ur, ; born 22 June 1956) is a Pakistani politician who served as the 29th Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2018 to 2022. He previously held the post from 2008 to 2011. He has been a member of the Nationa ...
said that Pakistan will not allow its territory to be used in a regional conflict. Shia groups in Islamabad and Karachi protested against the strike. * President
Rodrigo Duterte Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945), also known as Digong, Rody, and by the initials DU30 and PRRD, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the chairperson ...
ordered the country's military to prepare to evacuate Filipino citizens from Iraq and Iran "at any moment's notice". According to Presidential Spokesman
Salvador Panelo Salvador "Sal" San Buenaventura Panelo (born September 23, 1946) is a Filipino lawyer who served as President Rodrigo Duterte's Chief Presidential Legal Counsel (2016–2021) and Presidential Spokesperson (2018–2020). He was also the legal a ...
, Duterte decreed that the Philippines would side with the United States, its close military ally, if Filipinos are "harmed" in the Middle East. *'s foreign minister,
Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani ( ar, محمد بن عبدالرحمن بن جاسم آل ثاني; born 1 November 1980) is a Qatari diplomat, economist, and politician, currently serving as the Deputy Prime Minister, since 15 Nove ...
on a two-day visit to Tehran (3–4 January), said the situation is 'delicate and worrying' and called for easing tensions and calm. * called for de-escalation. Slovak army in Iraq was also relocated to Kuwait. *'s
Foreign Ministry In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...
strongly condemned the "treacherous, criminal American aggression" that led to the killing of Soleimani, according to a statement released by news agency
SANA Sana may refer to: Places * Sanaa, the capital of Yemen * Sana (river), a river in Bosnia and Herzegovina * Sana, Bhutan, a town in Bhutan * Sana, Haute-Garonne, a commune in France * Sana, Iran, a village in Iran * Sana, Mali, a commune in M ...
. * Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
Anwar Gargash Anwar Mohammed Gargash ( ar, أنور محمد قرقاش; born 28 March 1959, in Dubai) is an Emirati politician who served as the minister of state for foreign affairs between February 2008 and February 2021. Since February 2021, he serves as a ...
called for wisdom and political solutions over confrontation and escalation. * condemned the air strike saying that it believed the incident will raise Middle East tensions.
Venezuelan National Assembly The National Assembly ( es, Asamblea Nacional) is the legislature for Venezuela that was first elected in 2000. It is a unicameral body made up of a variable number of members, who were elected by a "universal, direct, personal, and secret" vo ...
and disputed interim president
Juan Guaidó Juan Gerardo Guaidó Márquez (born 28 July 1983) is a Venezuelan politician, a former member of the Social democracy, social-democratic Popular Will party, and federal deputy to the National Assembly (Venezuela), National Assembly representing ...
said that Soleimani "led a criminal and terrorist structure in Iran that for years caused pain to his people and destabilized the Middle East, just as Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis did with
Hezbollah Hezbollah (; ar, حزب الله ', , also transliterated Hizbullah or Hizballah, among others) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militant group, led by its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah since 1992. Hezbollah's parami ...
". Guaidó also accused
Nicolás Maduro Nicolás Maduro Moros (; born 23 November 1962) is a Venezuelan politician and president of Venezuela since 2013, with his presidency under dispute since 2019. Beginning his working life as a bus driver, Maduro rose to become a trade unio ...
of allowing him and his Quds Forces to incorporate their sanctioned banks and companies in Venezuela. *'s
Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
praised the Assassination as an "important step to end conflict in the region", while the Iran-backed
Houthis The Houthi movement (; ar, ٱلْحُوثِيُّون ''al-Ḥūthīyūn'' ), officially called Ansar Allah (' ''Partisans of God'' or ''Supporters of God'') and colloquially simply Houthis, is an Islamist political and armed movement that ...
condemned the attacks and called for "swift reprisals".


Partially-recognized states

* Prime Minister
Ramush Haradinaj Ramush Haradinaj (; born 3 July 1968) is a Kosovo Albanian politician, leader of the AAK party, and the third prime minister of Kosovo. He is a former officer and leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), and previously served as Prime Minister ...
announced that "Kosovo stands firm in support of the U.S. in its right to self-defense".


Non-state actors

*
African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a Social democracy, social-democratic political party in Republic of South Africa, South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when ...
secretary-general,
Ace Magashule Elias Sekgobelo "Ace" Magashule (born 3 November 1959) is a South African politician and former anti-apartheid activist who was Secretary General of the African National Congress (ANC) until his suspension on 3 May 2021. He served as the Premier ...
, issued a statement describing the killing of Soleimani as an act of "international terrorism" by the United States and appealed "for maximum restraint" so as encourage a peaceful outcome. Magashule called on the United Nations to take action against the American "act of international terrorism." *
Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF–OIR) is a multinational military formation established by the U.S.-led international coalition against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) with the stated aim to "d ...
issued a press release suggesting military activities beyond protecting their own personnel would be paused. "We are now fully committed to protecting the Iraqi bases that host Coalition troops. This has limited our capacity to conduct training with partners and to support their operations against Daesh and we have therefore paused these activities, subject to continuous review." *
Hamas Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Bri ...
, the ''de facto'' government of the
Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...
, sent condolences upon Soleimani's death and condemned the airstrikes. On 4 January, hundreds in Gaza Strip, joined by leaders of Hamas and the
Palestinian Islamic Jihad The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine ( ar, حركة الجهاد الإسلامي في فلسطين, ''Harakat al-Jihād al-Islāmi fi Filastīn''), known in the West simply as Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), is a Palestinian Islamist par ...
faction, mourned Soleimini's death. Israeli and American flags were placed on the ground for people to step on, and then the flags were burned. *
Hezbollah Hezbollah (; ar, حزب الله ', , also transliterated Hizbullah or Hizballah, among others) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militant group, led by its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah since 1992. Hezbollah's parami ...
Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah said that "the shoe of Qassem Soleimani is worth the head of Trump and all American leaders", adding that the response must be the expulsion of U.S. forces from the region. * has praised the killing of Soleimani and described the general's demise as an act of divine intervention that benefitted jihadists. *
Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...
in Afghanistan condemned the killing of Soleimani, describing it as "American adventurism" and hailing Soleimani as a "great warrior". *
National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces The National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces ( ar, الائتلاف الوطني لقوى الثورة والمعارضة السورية), commonly named the Syrian National Coalition (SNC) ( ar, الائتلاف الو ...
welcomed Soleimani's death, a man they blame for thousands of deaths in the nearly nine-year-old civil war.


Financial markets

Global oil prices rose moderately in reaction to Soleimani's death to heights not seen for three months, before falling back. Arms company stocks (
Northrop Grumman Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense technology company. With 90,000 employees and an annual revenue in excess of $30 billion, it is one of the world's largest weapons manufacturers and military techn ...
,
Lockheed Martin The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American aerospace, arms, defense, information security, and technology corporation with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It ...
and
Raytheon Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense conglomerate headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. It is one of the largest aerospace and defense manufacturers in the world by revenue and market capitaliza ...
) also rose in the wake of the event.


Demonstrations

A number of anti-war rallies were held in more than 30 U.S. cities were set by
Code Pink Code Pink: Women for Peace (often stylized as CODEPINK) is a left-wing internationally active non-governmental organization that describes itself as a "grassroots peace and social justice movement working to end U.S.-funded wars and occupations, ...
and the ANSWER Coalition for Saturday night, 4 January, asking the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. Thousands marched in 70 cities across the country in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
,
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
,
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
and others. Similar demonstrations took place in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
,
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
,
Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
,
Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
,
Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
,
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
,
Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
,
Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
,
Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
,
Sana'a Sanaa ( ar, صَنْعَاء, ' , Yemeni Arabic: ; Old South Arabian: 𐩮𐩬𐩲𐩥 ''Ṣnʿw''), also spelled Sana'a or Sana, is the capital and largest city in Yemen and the centre of Sanaa Governorate. The city is not part of the Governo ...
,
Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital T ...
,
Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...
,
Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...
,
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
,
Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
,Multiple References: * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Kargil Kargil ( lbj, ) is a city and a joint capital of the union territory of Ladakh, India. It is also the headquarters of the Kargil district. It is the second-largest city in Ladakh after Leh. Kargil is located to the east of Srinagar in Jam ...
,
Budgam Budgam (), known as Badgom (; ) in Kashmiri language, Kashmiri, is a town in Budgam district in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir, India. In the 2001 census, it was recorded as having a notified area ...
,
New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...
,
Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...
and
Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...
. In
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, where a
large number Large numbers are numbers significantly larger than those typically used in everyday life (for instance in simple counting or in monetary transactions), appearing frequently in fields such as mathematics, cosmology, cryptography, and statistical m ...
of
Iranian Americans Iranian Americans are United States citizens or nationals who are of Iranian ancestry or who hold Iranian citizenship. Iranian Americans are among the most highly educated people in the United States. They have historically excelled in busine ...
reside, praised the death of Soleimani while celebrations took place in
Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
,
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
and
Idlib ar, إدلبي, Idlibi , coordinates = , elevation_m = 500 , area_code = 23 , geocode = C3871 , blank_name = Climate , blank_info ...
. On 3 January 2021, thousands of Iraqis demanded American forces to withdraw from the country during protests in
Liberation Square, Baghdad Liberation Square ( ar, ساحة التحرير) is located in central Baghdad at the intersection of al-Sadoun Street and the Jamhouriyya Bridge Road. Liberation Square is Baghdad's biggest and most central square located in the Al-Rusafa part o ...
, a year after the assassination of Qasem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. The anniversary of their deaths in Baghdad was also marked in Iran as well as by supporters in Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and other Middle East countries.


References

{{Iran–United States relations 2020 in international relations Aftermath of the assassination of Qasem Soleimani Reactions to 2020s events Reactions to deaths