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Rouhani urges Johnson to review his attitude to Soleimani’s death

09 January 2020 19:41 (UTC +04:00)

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, during a telephone conversation, urged British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to review his position regarding the death of General Qasem Soleimani, who died in an American airstrike in early January, APA reports citing Sputnik.

“If it were not for the efforts of the martyr Lieutenant General Qasem Soleimani, you would not feel safe in London today,” said Rouhani quoted by his official website

He added that the attack on the US military bases in Iraq was legitimate and carried out in accordance with article 51 of the UN Charter on the right to self-defense.

Johnson, in turn, stressed that the United Kingdom observes its obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) and is willing to dialogue to reduce tension in the region and fight against the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

On January 3, a US attack with a drone in Baghdad murdered Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, commander of the elite Quds Force of the CGRI, and an important leader of the Iraqi Shiite militia.

On January 8, Iran bombed military installations used by the US in Iraq, including the Ain al Asad base in Al Anbar province (west) and another in Erbil (north), in retaliation for the murder of Soleimani.

Iranian television Press TV claimed that the bombing resulted in 80 deaths. For his part, President Donald Trump said that no American was killed or injured in the offensive. Trump announced additional punitive economic sanctions against Iran, while his administration evaluates a response to the attack.

After the murder of Soleimani, Johnson said the general represented a threat to London’s interests and that the United Kingdom “will not regret his death.”