Iranian officials angered by the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani have now issued an arrest warrant for President Trump, but the United States calls it a “propaganda stunt.”
The announcement was made on Monday by Tehran prosecutor Ali Alqasimehr, who told the state news agency IRNA that Trump and 35 other people face “murder and terrorism charges” in connection with the January 3 attack in Baghdad that killed the Iranian leader. Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guard.
Alqasimehr was quoted as saying that Iran has asked Interpol to present a “red notice” to Trump and the others, the highest-level arrest request issued by the international organization.
Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani, center, attends a meeting in Tehran, Iran, in September 2016. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP, File)
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Subsequently, Interpol issued a statement saying that its guidelines for notices prohibit it from “any intervention or activity of a political nature” and that it “would not consider requests” of this type.
Brian Hook, the United States Special Representative for Iran, dismissed the announcement of the arrest warrant during a press conference in Saudi Arabia on Monday.
“It is a propaganda trick that nobody takes seriously and makes Iranians look silly,” Hook said.
U.S. soldiers clear debris from an Iranian bombing site at Ain al-Asad Air Base in Anbar, Iraq, on January 13. Ain al-Asad Air Base was hit by a flurry of Iranian missiles, in retaliation for the US drone attack that killed top Iranian Commander General Qassem Soleimani. (AP)
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The United States killed Soleimani and others in the January attack near Baghdad International Airport. It came after months of mounting tensions between the two countries. Iran retaliated with a ballistic missile attack against US troops in Iraq.
Alqasimehr did not identify anyone more wanted than Trump, but emphasized that Iran will continue its prosecution even after his presidency ends.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
