Terror Attack In Iran Kills Over 100 During Ceremony Near Iranian Guards Commander Soleimani's Tomb

 

Daily Mail: Bloodbath as explosion kills more than 100 at Iranian ceremony marking military commander Qassem Soleimani's assassination: Footage shows bodies scattered in the street as Tehran condemns 'terror attack' 

At least 103 people have been killed and 170 wounded after two explosions rocked a ceremony that was being held to mark the 2020 assassination of Iran's top commander Qassem Soleimani in a US drone attack. 

The first explosion was quickly followed by a second close to a cemetery in the southeastern city of Kerman where thousands had gathered to mark the four-year anniversary of Soleimani's killing. 

Harrowing video showed scores of bloodied victims lying on the floor as others stumbled away from the blast scene close to the Saheb al-Zaman Mosque where Soleimani is buried in what Iran has described as a 'terrorist attack'.  

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 Terror Attack In Iran Kills Over 100 During Ceremony Near Iranian Guards Commander Soleimani's Tomb 

Iran blasts live: Deadly explosions target Soleimani death anniversary -- Al Jazeera 

Iran says at least 103 people killed, 188 wounded in bombing at ceremony honoring slain general -- AP  

More than 100 killed in 'terrorist attacks' near tomb of Iranian Guards' Soleimani -- Reuters  

Deadly blasts rock ceremony for slain Iranian general Soleimani -- France 24  

At least 103 dead in bomb blasts near Iran general Qasem Soleimani's tomb - state TV -- BBC  

Over 100 dead in blasts at memorial for assassinated Iranian commander -- The Guardian 

Iran: Deadly blasts near grave of slain Qassem Soleimani -- DW  

Dozens dead in Iran after blasts strike Qassem Soleimani memorial -- Politico.eu  

Blasts near grave of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani kill more than 100 people, officials say -- ABC News Australia  

Iranian media report at least 103 killed, 141 injured in explosions near grave of General Qassem Soleimani -- FOX News  

At least 103 killed in blasts near Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani’s grave -- CNN

Israel's Former Military Intelligence Chief Acknowledges His Country's Involvement In The Assassination Of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani In January 2020

Late Iranian general Qassem Soleimani. PHOTO: AFP 

YNet News: Ex-military intel chief: Israel was involved in Soleimani assassination 

Maj. Gen. Tamir Hayman confirms Israel's part in high-profile assassination of the head of Iran's elite Quds force, adds Israel successfully torpedoed Iranian weapons shipments, entrenchment in Syria 

Gen. Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds force and mastermind of its regional security strategy, was killed in a U.S. airstrike in January 2020, near the Iraqi capital's international airport.

“Soleimani’s assassination is an achievement, since our main enemy, in my eyes, are the Iranians," said former head of Israeli military intelligence Maj. Gen. Tamir Hayman - marking the first time a top Israeli official confirms Israel's role in the U.S.-led operation.  

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Israel's Former Military Intelligence Chief Acknowledges His Country's Involvement In The Assassination Of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani In January 2020  

Ex-intel chief confirms Israel's role in Soleimani killing -- AP 

Israel was involved in Soleimani assassination, ex-IDF intel chief says -- Jerusalem Post  

Former general says Israel was involved in killing Iran commander Qassem Soleimani -- UPI  

Former military intelligence chief acknowledges Israel's involvement in Soleimani killing -- The Hill

President Trump's Plan Was To Take Out Several Senior Iranian Military And Intelligence Operatives At The Same time As Iranian General Qassem Soleimani

The Trump administration started planning to kill Iranian general Qassem Soleimani (pictured in 2016) almost three years prior to his 2020 assassination and originally wanted to wipe out a 'whole list of folks' that day, it has been revealed  

Daily Mail: Trump's team 'began planning Qassem Soleimani's assassination in 2017 and wanted to wipe out a 'whole list of folks that day', claims new report: Donald approved $15m extra security for Pompeo on leaving office 

 * New details have emerged about the January 2020 strike in Iraq 

 * Mike Pompeo started discussions when he became CIA director in January 2017 

 * The plot reportedly escalated throughout 2018 and 2019 driven by the US's withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear Deal and the killing of a US contractor in Iraq 

 * Donald Trump then gave it the go-ahead because he wanted to take credit for it in his reelection campaign, officials said 

 * Former Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller said the plan was to take out several senior Iranian military and intelligence operatives not just Soleimani 

 * Other targets were Quds Force's top commander in Yemen Abdulreza Shahlai and members of the Iran-backed militia Popular Mobilization Forces 

 * Pompeo and other senior US officials including Brian Hook are now at risk of 'no-bulls**t threats' of a revenge assassination by Iran 

 * In his final White House days Trump set aside £15 million to protect them 

The Trump administration started planning to kill Iranian general Qassem Soleimani almost three years prior to his 2020 assassination and originally wanted to wipe out a 'whole list of folks' that day, it has been revealed. 

Mike Pompeo is said to have first created a task force of CIA leaders to 'take Qassem Soleimani off the board' almost as soon as he was appointed to his role as CIA director in January 2017. 

The plot reportedly escalated throughout 2018 and 2019 driven by the US's withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear Deal and the killing of a US contractor in Iraq before Donald Trump ultimately gave it the go-ahead because he wanted to 'take credit for it' in his re-election campaign.  

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WNU Editor: After reading this I wonder if the current Biden administration has a "hit-list"? 

President Obama had one. President Trump had one. Does President Biden have one?

More Details Emerge On The Trump Administration’s Plan To Kill Iranian General Qassem Soleimani

Officials revealed new details about the logistics of the operation on the ground, with US Delta Force operatives posing as maintenance workers while Kurdish operatives dressed as baggage handlers at Baghdad Airport to positively ID the general (pictured February 2016)  

Yahoo News: 'Conspiracy is hard': Inside the Trump administration's secret plan to kill 

Qassem Soleimani Three teams of Delta Force operators peered through their scopes from concealed locations at Baghdad International Airport last January, waiting for their target: Qassem Soleimani, Iran’s most powerful military commander. Disguised as maintenance workers, the operators had secreted into position in old buildings or vehicles on the side of the road. 

It was a cool, overcast night and the southeast side of the airport had been shut down on short notice for a military training exercise — or so the Iraqi government was told. The three sniper teams positioned themselves 600 to 900 yards away from the “kill zone,” the access road from the airfield, setting up to triangulate their target as he left the airport. One of the snipers had a spotting scope with a camera attached that livestreamed back to the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, where the Delta Ground Force commander was based with support staff. 

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WNU Editor: This information should not be made public. 

More Details Emerge On The Trump Administration’s Plan To Kill Iranian General Qassem Soleimani  

Report: Israel shared Soleimani’s phone numbers with US hours before his slaying -- Times of Israel  

Israel shared Iranian General Soleimani's cell phones with US intelligence before drone strike: report -- FOX News 

Report: Israel, Kurds helped US plan, execute Soleimani killing -- Israel Hayom

Israeli Intelligence Helped Track Soleimani on the Day of His Assassination, Report Says -- Sputnik

Iranians and Iraqis Mark The Anniversary Of The US Killing Of Qassem Soleimani

 

Daily Mail: 'America is the Great Satan': Tens of thousands of Iraqis chanting anti-US slogans gather in Baghdad to protest killing of top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani a year ago 

 * Tens of thousands of Iraqis chanting anti-American slogans gathered in Baghdad to mark the anniversary of the US killing of Qassem Soleimani 

 * It comes amid escalating tensions between Iran and the US in Trump's final days in the White House   * Soleimani, leader of an elite overseas unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, was killed on January 3, 2020, in a U.S. drone strike on his convoy at Baghdad airport 

 * Washington had accused Soleimani of masterminding attacks on US forces 

Tens of thousands of Iraqis chanting anti-American slogans streamed to Baghdad's central square on Sunday to mark the anniversary of the U.S. killing of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. 

The gathering coincided with increasing tensions between Iran and the United States in the last days of President Donald Trump's administration, and many in the crowd demanded revenge. 

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WNU Editor: From what I am reading and seeing. There were more events and larger crowds in Iraq marking the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani than in Iran. 

 More News On Iranians and Iraqis Marking The Anniversary Of The US Killing Of Qassem Soleimani  

Thousands march to mark a year since death of Iran's general Soleimani -- France 24 

U.S., Iran tensions simmer as thousands protest Soleimani's killing in Iraq -- NBC 

Iran blames Germany, other countries, for Qassem Soleimani assassination -- DW 

Thousands march in Baghdad to mark anniversary of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani's assassination -- ABC News (Australia) 

Anti-US chants as Iraqis mourn commanders killed a year ago -- AFP Thousands march in Baghdad on Soleimani assassination anniversary -- Al Jazeera 

Chanting anti-U.S. slogans, Iraq militia supporters mark year since Soleimani's killing -- Reuters 

Iraqis demand US troops pull out on Soleimani killing anniversary -- Al Jazeera 

Iraq militia supporters mark year since Soleimani's killing -- DW 

Iran steps up nuclear plans as tensions rise on anniversary of Suleimani’s killing -- The Guardian

Iran To Execute 'CIA Spy' Convicted Of Helping The US Kill Qassem Soleimani

The Guardian: Iran to execute 'CIA agent' over Gen Suleimani intelligence

Tehran says Iranian citizen who passed on information was in jail at the time of the general’s assassination

An Iranian responsible for leaking information about the powerful general Qassem Suleimani but without direct involvement in his assassination by the US in January has been sentenced to death and will be hung shortly, the Iranian judiciary has said.

Speaking on Tuesday, at a regular judicial press conference, the alleged culprit was named as Seyed Mahmoud Mousavi Majd, an Iranian citizen.

The spokesman for the judiciary, Gholamhossein Esmaili, said Majd had given information on Suleimani’s movements to the CIA and the Israeli intelligence agency in return for cash but the judiciary’s media office later clarified he had been in jail at the time the general’s convoy was attacked in Baghdad.

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More News On Iran Saying It Will Execute 'CIA Spy' Convicted Of Helping The US Kill Qassem Soleimani

Iran to execute spy convicted of helping US kill Qassem Soleimani -- France 24
Iran says it will execute 'CIA spy' who helped US target drone strike that killed General Qassem Soleimani 'very soon' -- Daily Mail
Iran says it will execute man who allegedly provided US with information on Soleimani --FOX News
https://www.france24.com/en/20200609-iran-execute-spy-qassem-soleimani-cia-israel -- DW
Iran says it will execute informant who led CIA to Soleimani -- Al Jazeera
Iran to execute 'CIA informant' who spied on Qassem Soleimani -- Middle East Eye

The Strike That Killed Iranian General Soleimani In January Was So Secret That Even U.S. Spy Satellites Were Unaware

Burning debris seen on a road near Baghdad International Airport, which Iraqi paramilitary groups say were caused by three rockets, on January 3, 2020. Iraqi Security Media Cell via Reuters

Newsweek: The Strike That Killed Iran's Top General Was So Secret Even U.S. Spy Satellites Were Kept in the Dark

It was the end of an otherwise unremarkable Thursday in January for service members stationed at the U.S. complex at Baghdad International Airport. But just minutes after midnight, Hellfire missiles broke the quiet as they rained down on a far corner of the sprawling site known as BIAP.

"It was like, 'oh s--- we got struck,'" an active member of the U.S. armed forces who was stationed at the airport told Newsweek. The member's named is being withheld because they are not authorized to speak publicly about the incident.

Iraqi personnel also scrambled in response to the shocking, mysterious strike on "one of the safest roads we have here in the capital," as one Iraqi official described it to Newsweek. But not far from where both military and civilian flights had been operating as usual, two vehicles were left smoldering on a road along the eastern stretch of the airport.

"It was surreal," the Iraqi official, who was not authorized to speak with the media, later told Newsweek.

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WNU Editor: I suspect that we still only know 5% on what was the planning and execution for this operation.

Poll: 27% Of Americans Believe President Trump Should Face War-Crime Charges Over Soleimani's Killing

Former Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corp Brigadier General Haj Qassem Soleimani

Business Insider: More than 25% of Americans believe Trump should face war-crime charges over Soleimani's killing

  * 27% of Americans said they agreed President Donald Trump should be charged with war crimes over the drone strike that killed Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, according to a new Insider poll.
  * Though regarded as a terrorist by the US, Soleimani was Iran's top general and his killing marked a major escalation in the long history of hostilities between Washington and Tehran.
  * The Trump administration has been extremely hostile toward the International Criminal Court (ICC) in attempts to investigate possible war crimes by the US in Afghanistan.
  * The US does not recognize the ICC's authority.

In the wake of the US assassination of Iran's most important military leader, Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, more than a quarter of Americans believe The Hague should bring war-crime charges against President Donald Trump, according to a new Insider poll.

The Insider poll, which ran on Wednesday, found that roughly 27% of the 1,083 respondents said they agreed with Iran that Trump should face a war crime tribunal. The poll did not ask for respondents' opinions on other aspects of Iran's position, including Tehran's desire to bring war-crime charges against the US military and federal government.

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WNU Editor: Unbelievable.

Does Soleimani's Death Create A Power Vacuum Within Iran?

Iranian General Qassem Soleimani

Jason M. Brodsky, The Hill: Soleimani's death creates power vacuum within Iran

Qassem Soleimani, former head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, was feared at home and abroad. He held both symbolic and substantive authority. Iran’s supreme leader dubbed him a “living martyr.” Also, while technically serving under the commander-in-chief of the IRGC, he often eclipsed those at the highest ranks of Iran’s Praetorian Guard. While after Soleimani’s death the supreme leader said the Quds Force’s mission “is the same as it was under” his commandership, three areas to watch will be the status of the Quds Force within the IRGC’s top brass, the Ayatollah’s decision-making circle and Iran’s Foreign Ministry’s attempts to assert more control over regional foreign policy.

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WNU Editor: He is definitely not easy to replace. He was the operational arm for Iran in the Middle East, and he had the experience, contacts, and charisma to be a major political figure within Iran's political establishment. I have been following Iran for years, and there is no one in my mind who comes close to what he was able to do.

Do You Know The Name Of The Fallen U.S. Contractor That Was Used To Justify The Killing Of Soleimani?

.@RepBrianMast asks for name of fallen service member that doesn't justify Soleimani killing: "I will sit here and wait..."

[silence]

.@RepEliotEngel: "I think you've made you're point…"

Rep. Mast: "Mr. Chairman, I have not yielded back my time!”

pic.twitter.com/L9ZUj17auv

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) January 14, 2020

WNU Editor: His name is Nawres Waleed Hamid .... U.S. contractor killed in Iraq, which led to strike on Iranian general, buried in Sacramento (Sacramento Bee).

Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau Blames President Trump For Rising Escalations In The Middle East That Led To The Shooting Down Of A Ukrainian Passenger Jet

Daily Mail: 'Those Canadians would be with their families now': Justin Trudeau takes extraordinary swipe at Donald Trump as he blames Iran shooting down jet on US raising tensions

* Trudeau blamed US killing of general Qassem Soleimani for raising tensions
* He said international community had to 'manage tensions brought about by US'
* Iran has admitted its Revolutionary Guards shot down the jet, killing 176 people
* Today Tehran said it had made several arrests as Hassan Rouhani vowed justice
* Dozens of Iranians were on board the Ukraine International Airlines flight

Justin Trudeau has today blamed the US 'escalation' in the Middle East for the Iranian shoot-down of a passenger jet in an extraordinary swipe at Donald Trump.

Echoing what Iranian officials have said, Trudeau said the dozens of Canadian crash victims would be 'home with their families' but for the tensions started by the US killing of Qassem Soleimani.

The Canadian PM said the international community had to 'manage the tensions in the region that are brought about by US actions'.

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WNU Editor: Tensions did not escalate and rise because of the death of Soleimani. Those tensions have been escalating for months, from oil tanker attacks in the Persian Gulf, an attack on Saudi Arabia's critical oil refinery in September, and the continuous rocket attacks by Iranian-backed militias on Iraqi bases that housed coalition forces, Canadian forces included. And as for who was responsible for shooting down this Ukrainian passenger jet. It was shot down in Iran, by a missile fired by an Iranian officer, who was giving the authority to do so by his superiors. Historically speaking, assessing blame like this is nothing new. There are historians who blame the U.S. for  Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor because of U.S. sanctions on Japan at the time.

More News On Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau Blaming President Trump For Rising Escalating In The Middle East That Led To The Shooting Down Of A Ukrainian Passenger Jet

Justin Trudeau: US escalation partly to blame for Iran plane deaths -- The Guardian
Trudeau: Escalating 'tensions' with Iran to blame for downed jet -- The Hill
Justin Trudeau says Iran plane crash victims would still be alive if not for heightened tensions -- The Week
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau blames downing of Ukraine jet on US ‘escalation’ -- NYPost
Trudeau: Canadians who Died in Iran Plane Attack ‘Would Be Home with Their Families’ If Not for U.S. ‘Escalation’ -- NRO
Trudeau: Plane victims would be alive if not for US-Iran tensions -- Al Jazeera
Iran Shoots Down Passenger Plane and Kills 57 Canadians, So Trudeau Blames Trump -- PJ Media

Israel Declares It 'Had No Role In Soleimani Killing'

France 24: Israeli army ‘had no role in Soleimani killing,’ IDF spokesperson tells FRANCE 24

The Israel Defence Forces played no part in the killing of Iran’s Qassem Soleimani, IDF’s international spokesperson Jonathan Conricus tells FRANCE 24’s Middle East Matters programme, describing the senior commander’s death as an “opportunity” for the region.

“The IDF had no role, this was an American-executed operation,” Cornicus told FRANCE 24’s Sanam Shantyaei on Tuesday, denying reports that Israeli intelligence helped locate the target of the US strike on Soleimani.

Widely regarded as the most powerful Iranian military commander, the head of the elite Quds Force was killed in a US drone strike at Baghdad airport on January 3.

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WNU Editor: Israel is going out of its way to wash its hands that they had a role in this killing.

Iran Says It Will Sue President Trump For Ordering Soleimani’s Assassination

Iran’s top judge Ebrahim Raisi

Iran Front Page: Iran Says Will Sue Trump for Ordering Soleimani’s Assassination

Iran’s top judge Ebrahim Raisi says the Judiciary in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will file a complaint against US President Donald Trump for the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani.

“In our view, because martyr Soleimani was the symbol of combating terrorism and supporting the oppressed, his assassination violates every law,” said Raisi in a meeting of high-level Judiciary officials on Monday.

He added that the violation can be followed up and “I call upon law scholars to shout their protest … The US claims to hold power but has flagrantly violated the law and committed such a horrific crime, so, if we condone the US violation, we will not be able to follow up any others.”

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Update #1: Iran Plans To Sue Donald Trump Over Qasem Soleimani Assassination (EurAsian Times)
Update #2: Iran to sue Trump over Soleimani killing (TASS)

WNU Editor:  Good luck on that.

President Trump Authorized The Killing Of Soleimani Seven Months Ago If Iran's Actions Resulted In The Death Of An American

A composite image of US President Donald Trump and the Iranian military commander Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani. Leah Millis/Reuters; Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP

NBC News: Trump authorized Soleimani's killing 7 months ago, with conditions

The timing raises new questions about the Trump administration's stated justification for taking out the top Iranian general.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump authorized the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani seven months ago if Iran's increased aggression resulted in the death of an American, according to five current and former senior administration officials.

The presidential directive in June came with the condition that Trump would have final signoff on any specific operation to kill Soleimani, officials said.

That decision explains why assassinating Soleimani was on the menu of options that the military presented to Trump two weeks ago for responding to an attack by Iranian proxies in Iraq, in which a U.S. contractor was killed and four U.S. service members were wounded, the officials said.

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WNU Editor: It was this rocket attack that killed a US contractor that resulted in this US retaliation .... Soleimani approved attack on Iraqi military base that killed American: Top US general (ABC News).

More News On Reports That President Trump Authorized The Killing Of Soleimani Seven Months Ago If Iran's Actions Resulted In The Death Of An American

Trump approved Soleimani's killing last June: report -- The Hill
Trump approved Soleimani killing with conditions in June: report -- Al Jazeera
Trump has apparently wanted to kill Soleimani for quite a while — since as far back as 2017 -- VOX
The Trump administration is struggling to explain why the US killed top Iranian general Soleimani — here's all the shifting explanations -- Business Insider

The U.S. And Iranian General Soleimani Worked together To Defeat ISIS

Major General Qassem Soleimani

Philip Kowalski, OZY: Soleimani and the United States Worked Together to Beat ISIS

Before Gen. Qassem Soleimani was killed by a drone strike outside Baghdad’s international airport in the early hours last Friday, he was hardly a household name in the United States. The White House — which had ordered the killing — immediately set about framing the assassination along the same lines as the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi a few months previously, or that of Osama bin Laden in 2011. America had just defeated one of its greatest enemies, officials said.

But that Soleimani, the commander of Iran’s Quds Force — the country’s elite external military wing — was a relatively unknown figure among the American public not only attests to his skill as an officer of clandestine warfare, but also the extremely complicated relationship he had with the United States. Just a few years earlier, Soleimani had been an indispensable figure in the fight against the Taliban and ISIS.

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WNU Editor: The war against ISIS did bring about some unique alliances.

US Special Operations Releases Photos Showing Qassem Soleimani's Personal Effects And Twisted Wreckage After The Drone Strike Killed Him In Baghdad

Some of the items Soleimani was carrying when he died. His phone is partially visible at the top left.

Daily Mail: Photos taken by US Special Operations show Qassem Soleimani's personal effects and twisted wreckage after drone strike killed him in Baghdad

* New photos show aftermath of January 3 drone strike at Baghdad International Airport
* Quds Forces leader Qassem Soleimani and nine others were killed in two cars hit by US drone missiles
* Photos show burning wreckage and some of Soleimani's personal effects after the strike

Photos taken by U.S. Special Operations forces have been released in the aftermath of the American drone strike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani at Baghdad International Airport.

The photos, which depict the grisly outcome of the January 3 Reaper drone's missile strike on two cars carrying Soleimani and nine others, were obtained by Fox News from a U.S. government source.

The U.S. soldiers were secretly following Soleimani's convoy about a half-mile behind his entourage, and rushed to the scene immediately after the strike to confirm that the Iranian general had been killed.

The photos show the burning, twisted wreckage of the vehicle Solemani was traveling in, as well as some of the items he was carrying, including a cell phone and currency.

Read more ....

Update: Photos taken by US Special Operations forces show aftermath of strike that killed Soleimani (FOX News).

WNU Editor: These pictures tell me that US Special Forces were near the strike when it happened. It is almost as if they were waiting for him. According to FOX News Qassem Soleimani's cell phone and electronics was destroyed ....

.... Under normal circumstances, Soleimani's phone and other electronics would be taken away for forensic analysis. However, the missile strike and ensuing fire made such an investigation impossible.

That is the official US statement. But when I look at the above photo it is clear that his phone is intact. I am willing to bet that everyone who was on Soleimani's cell phone is now operating on the premise that his electronics and cell phone were not destroyed, and that US intelligence already has all the data in their possession.

The Curse Of Soleimani

Apparently, Mohammed was a computer science genius. He was planning after graduating from the University of Toronto to return to Iran, where a position in one of the Revolutionary Guards cyber units awaited him.

— Mike (@Doranimated) January 11, 2020

WNU Editor: No comment necessary.

Reuters Exclusive: Informants In Iraq And Syria Assisted The U.S. To Kill Iran's Soleimani

A man holds a picture of slain Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani, as people celebrate in the street after Iran launched missiles at U.S.-led forces in Iraq, Iran January 8, 2020.WANA NEWS AGENCY/REUTERS

Reuters: Exclusive: Informants in Iraq, Syria helped U.S. kill Iran's Soleimani - sources

Iranian General Qassem Soleimani arrived at the Damascus airport in a vehicle with dark-tinted glass. Four soldiers from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards rode with him. They parked near a staircase leading to a Cham Wings Airbus A320, destined for Baghdad.

Neither Soleimani nor the soldiers were registered on the passenger manifesto, according to a Cham Wings airline employee who described the scene of their departure from the Syrian capital to Reuters. Soleimani avoided using his private plane because of rising concerns about his own security, said an Iraqi security source with knowledge of Soleimani’s security arrangements.

The passenger flight would be Soleimani’s last. Rockets fired from a U.S. drone killed him as he left the Baghdad airport in a convoy of two armored vehicles. Also killed was the man who met him at the airport: Abu Mahdi Muhandis, deputy head of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), the Iraqi government’s umbrella group for the country’s militias.

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WNU Editor: When one looks at Qassem Soleimani's history of destruction and mayhem, especially among the Sunni populations in Syria and Iraq, it is not hard to believe that many would assist the U.S. to see this man dead.

Was Iranian General Qassem Soleimani Plotting To Destroy The U.S. Embassy In Iraq?

Daily Mail: Donald Trump claims Qassem Soleimani was plotting to BLOW UP the U.S. embassy in Iraq after days of pressure to explain the 'imminent threat'

* President Trump justified the strike on Iranian general Qassem Soleimani by revealing there was a plot to 'blow up' the U.S. embassy in Baghdad
* 'We did it because they were looking to blow up our embassy,' Trump told reporters at the White House
* For days, the White House has said Soleimani was targeted because the No. 2 Iranian was an 'imminent threat' to American lives

President Trump said he decided to take out Iranian general Qassem Soleimani because there were plans to 'blow up' the U.S. embassy in Baghdad.

'We did it because they were looking to blow up our embassy,' Trump told reporters during an environmental event at the White House Thursday. 'He had more than that particular embassy in mind,' the president also said.

For days, the Trump administration has claimed that Soleimani was planning an attack on Americans making him an 'imminent threat' who needed to be killed.

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WNU Editor: The above presser begins at the 21:00 mark.

More News On President Trump's Remarks That Iranian General Qassem Soleimani Was Plotting To Destroy The U.S. Embassy In Iraq

Trump says Iran was 'looking to blow up our embassy' -- The Hill
Trump claims Soleimani was planning to blow up U.S. embassy -- Politico
Trump Says Soleimani Killed After Iran Plot to ‘Blow Up’ Embassy -- Bloomberg
Trump claims Iran's top general was plotting to blow up the US Embassy in Iraq — but doesn't give any evidence backing it up -- Business Insider

U.S. Lawmakers Divided After Being Briefed On The Iran Crisis

Defense News: Dems, GOP divided after Iran briefing from Trump administration officials

WASHINGTON ― The U.S. and Iran stepped back from the brink of possible war Wednesday, but some lawmakers were left with questions about the administration’s strategy toward Iran and whether or not the U.S. is safer for having killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

After Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and CIA Director Gina Haspel briefed the House and Senate behind closed doors on Wednesday, lawmakers split on partisan lines over whether their concerns about Iran and the president’s actions were addressed.

“Without commenting on content, my reaction to this briefing was it was sophomoric and utterly unconvincing, and I believe more than ever that Congress needs to act to protect the Constitution’s provisions about war and peace,” said Virginia Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly, who serves on the House committees on Oversight and Government Reform, and Foreign Affairs.

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WNU Editor: It is moments like this that I have trouble understanding what Congress is thinking. Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani is someone who is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of U.S. troops, and the wounding of thousands more. Congress should be applauding and cheering his demise, not complaining that the US intelligence that was provided in Wednesday's briefing was not convincing enough to prove that he was an imminent threat. Is his background and history coupled with his designation as a terrorist enough to justify being targeted by US forces? Apparently not.

Update: Why am I not surprised .... Meghan McCain Has To Ask Warren Three Times To Admit Soleimani Was A Terrorist (Daily Caller).

Update: Here is the next Congress - White House battle ....  Trump, Democrats set for brawl on Iran war powers (The Hill)

More News On U.S. Lawmakers Divided After Being Briefed on The Iran Crisis

Democrats 'utterly unpersuaded' by evidence behind Soleimani strike -- The Hill
'The worst briefing I've had': Senate Iran briefing gets heated -- CNN
“Probably the worst briefing I’ve seen”: Inside the disastrous congressional Iran meeting -- VOX
Rand Paul, Mike Lee rip administration over 'insulting and demeaning' Iran briefing -- The Hill
Sen. Mike Lee explains outburst after 'worst military briefing': Officials had 'flippant attitude' toward lawmakers -- FOX News
Trump administration briefing on Iran angers Republican senators, boosts effort to restrict presidential power -- Yahoo News