Iran petitioned Interpol for help in arresting President Donald Trump on Monday.
Tehran prosecutor Ali Alqasimehr accused the President and 35 other officials of killing Gen. Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike on January 3, saying Trump faces “murder and terrorism charges.”
The AP reported that Interpol later rejected the arrest warrant and “would not consider requests of this nature.” But the charges highlight ongoing contention between Iran and the United States, largely sparked by Trump’s withdrawal of support for Tehran’s nuclear deal.
Despite Interpol’s denial, Alquasimehr pledged that Iran would continue to seek out the President and other high-ranking officials. Tehran Attorney General Ali Alqasi Mehr promised to prosecute Trump as soon as his presidency concludes, according to CNN.
Alquasimehr also requested a “red notice” from Interpol, which can limit the suspect’s travel. Other countries are not required to enforce the notice and Interpol is unlikely to honor that request as well.
US special representative for Iran, Brian Hook, found the warrant “foolish,” calling it a “propaganda stunt.” Iran’s request also violated Interpol’s constitution which “strictly [forbids] for the organization to undertake any intervention or activities of a political, military, religious or racial character.”
A US drone killed Soleimani at the Baghdad International Airport earlier this year. Iran called the strike an “assassination” and charged Iranian citizen Seyed Mahmoud Mousavi Majd with treason for disclosing Soleimani’s location. The general led Iran’s Quds Force, an elite paramilitary of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, that the Pentagon maintained was a threat to American peace.
“General Soleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region,” the Pentagon said. Soleimani, according to officials, was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Americans and US allies. Iran retaliated with attacks on Iraqi bases housing US troops, according to CNBC.
Trump withdrew from the Iranian nuclear deal in early 2018, claiming that the deal was “horrible,” “one-sided,” and “should have never, ever been made.”
Related:
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Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Pool
Mikaela Mathews is a freelance writer and editor based in Dallas, TX. She was the editor of a local magazine and a contributing writer for the Galveston Daily News and Spirit Magazine.
