Iran warns against 'hostile moves' on Soleimani assassination anniversary

TEHERAN－Iranian political and military officials issued warnings on Saturday over possible hostile movements against Iran on the first anniversary of the killing of commander Qassem Soleimani.

"New intelligence from Iraq indicate that Israeli agent-provocateurs are plotting attacks against Americans－putting an outgoing (US President Donald) Trump in a bind with a fake casus belli," Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote on social media, as quoted by official news agency IRNA.

Iran's chief diplomat called on Trump to "be careful of a trap".

Major General Hossein Salami, commander in chief of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, or IRGC, also issued a warning against hostile action to be taken against Iran.

"We have shown it in practice, and we announce that we will respond to any action taken by the enemy against us with a reciprocal, decisive and solid blow," Salami declared, the semiofficial news agency Tasnim reported.

Iran will not rest until it brings to justice the perpetrators who assassinated Soleimani, the former commander of the Quds Force of IRGC, the Iranian Foreign Ministry wrote in its Twitter account on Friday.

"The United States violated international law and the United Nations' Charter in clear violation of Iraq's sovereignty," it said. "Iran will not give up until the authorities bring this action to justice."

A US airstrike on Jan 3 last year killed Soleimani along with an Iraqi militia commander near Baghdad International Airport.

On Friday, Brigadier General Esmail Qa'ani, the incumbent Commander of the Quds Force of the IRGC, described Soleimani as a hero of the Islamic nation who defeated the hegemonic powers through his resistance, the IRNA news agency said.

Qa'ani said that the Quds Force will support any act seeking to punish the culprits of the assassination of Soleimani.

Iranian Judiciary Chief Ebrahim Raisi said on Friday "the perpetrators of the assassination won't be safe anywhere in the world," according to Press TV.

In a separate development, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, or AEOI, has issued a letter to be presented to the International Atomic Energy Agency about Teheran's intention to resume the production of 20 percent enriched uranium, the head of AEOI said on Friday.

"As required by the parliament, we are going to start the 20 percent (enrichment of uranium)," Ali Akbar Salehi said in an interview on Iran's state TV.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said a formal announcement letter has been sent to Iran's representative office in Vienna, Austria, to be delivered to the IAEA, informing them about Teheran's decision to produce 20 percent enriched uranium, Salehi added.

The Iranian parliament passed a bill on Dec 1 urging the government to implement a number of steps, including a boost in Iran's uranium enrichment, in case the European signatories to the 2015 nuclear agreement, namely Britain, France and Germany, fail to protect Iran's interests amid US energy and banking sanctions.

Xinhua