A close ally of Iran’s Supreme Leader appeared to call for Donald Trump’s execution for his role in the killing of a top general.
Hossein Shariatmadari is a staunch supporter of Ali Khamenei and editor-in-chief of the Kayhan newspaper.
The Kayhan is considered the most conservative and hard-line Iranian newspaper, with a reported circulation of 350,000.
In an article published a few days ago, the newspaper called for Trump to be punished for ordering the killing of Qasem Soleimani.
“Trump ordered the assassination of Qasem Soleimani and is a criminal who must be punished,” they wrote. “Trump may only come to Iran to face punishment for ordering the killing of Soleimani.”
He added that the US President “deserved death” for the killing of Solemani.
Soleimani was the commander of the elite Quds Force, an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps division.
He was responsible for extraterritorial and clandestine military operations and was described as “the single most powerful operative in the Middle East” and a “genius of asymmetric warfare.”
The commander was killed in a US drone strike ordered by Trump after arriving at Baghdad airport in Iraq on January 3rd, 2020.
Following the attack, Trump told a press conference that Soleimani was “the number-one terrorist” in the world, who made killing innocent people “his sick passion”.
“Soleimani was plotting imminent and sinister attacks on American diplomats and military personnel, but we caught him in the act and terminated him,” he said.
Iran has never forgiven the US President for assassinating their top general and has made previous threats to avenge his death.
Former President Ebrahim Raisi told a ceremony commemorating the general’s death in 2023 that those responsible would be punished, adding there would be no relief “for murderers and accomplices.”
Shariatmadari’s call for Trump’s “execution” came just a day after Iran’s current President, Masoud Pezeshkian, told NBC that Tehran was ready for dialogue with the US leader.
He also insisted Iran had no intentions of punishing the US President for assassinating Soleimani.
