Hundreds of Thousands of Iranians Flood Streets to Condemn US Assassination of Qassem Soleimani

Published on

Friday, January 03, 2020

by

Common Dreams

The massive rallies discredited U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's claim that the people of Iran would "view the American action last night as giving them freedom."

by

Jake Johnson, staff writer

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Iranians rally in the capital Tehran on January 3, 2020 following the assassination of Iranian Revolutionary Guards Major General Qasem Soleimani in a U.S. strike on his convoy at Baghdad international airport. (Photo: Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images)

Hundreds of thousands of Iranians flooded the streets of Tehran and other cities across the country Friday to condemn the U.S. assassination of military leader Qassem Soleimani, discrediting Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's prediction that the people of Iran would "view the American action last night as giving them freedom."

Images and videos of massive rallies circulated on social media as Iranians gathered following Friday prayers to denounce Soleimani's killing, which was ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump and carried out via drone strike Thursday night.

Soleimani's assassination, according to Al-Jazeera, "triggered a wave of emotions and garnered a response of solidarity and retribution across the otherwise divided Iranian political spectrum."

Nazli, a 40-year-old resident from the northern city of Rasht, told the Washington Post Friday that "everyone is worried."

"The people I spoke with weren't sad but shocked," said Nazli. "On social media, some people I thought didn't support the regime are now expressing sorrow for his death."

Sina Toossi@SinaToossi

Replying to @SinaToossi

Massive crowd out in Qassem Soleimani’s honetown of Kerman:

Polly Sigh@dcpoll

Pompeo: Iranians will view the U.S. assassination of Qasem Soleimani as “giving them freedom.”

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Iranians protest on the streets of Tehran against the Trump-ordered U.S. air strike that killed Soleimani.

Sina Toossi@SinaToossi

Replying to @SinaToossi

Rally in Mashhad mourning Soleimani:

Hundreds of Iranians also gathered outside the United Nations office in Tehran to condemn the assassination, which sparked warnings of a catastrophic regional conflict.

Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for U.N. Secretary General António Guterres, said in a statement Friday that "this is a moment in which leaders must exercise maximum restraint."

"The world cannot afford another war in the Gulf," said Haq.

Ruptly

✔@Ruptly

Replying to @Ruptly

Protesters rally outside UN office in #Tehran in response to US' killing of #Soleimani

Iranian leaders condemned Soleimani's assassination as an act of terrorism and vowed retaliatory action against the United States.

"The U.S. bears responsibility for all consequences of its rogue adventurism," Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif tweeted late Thursday.

The massive rallies in Iran came as U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo said in a CNN interview Friday that he believes Iranians will welcome the assassination of Soleimani—a remark that drew comparisons to former Vice President Dick Cheney's infamous prediction in 2003 that American troops would be "greeted as liberators" in Iraq.

"We have every expectation that people not only in Iraq but in Iran will view the American action last night as giving them freedom," said Pompeo. "Freedom to have the opportunity for success and prosperity for their nations. While the political leadership may not want that, the people in these nations will demand it."

Watch:

Aaron Rupar

✔@atrupar

Mike Pompeo to CNN on Suleimani assassination: "I saw last night there was dancing in the streets in parts of Iraq. We have every expectation that people not only in Iraq, but in Iran, will view the American action last night as giving them freedom."

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