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FINALIZED Assassination of General Soleimani Background Guide

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FINALIZED Assassination of General Soleimani Background Guide BCHMUN XX IXBC HMUNXXIX Assassination of General Soleimani Chair: Joe Galvin ‘21 Co-Chair: Michael Nunes ‘21 3.6.2021 Page 1 BCHMUNXXIX Table of Contents I. Letter from the Chair and Co Chair ...........................3 II. Introduction to Committee..........................................5 III. Historical Background ...............................................6 IV. Present Situation.........................................................7 V. Positions.....................................................................8 VI. Bibliography..............................................................9 Page 2 BCHMUNXXIX I. Letter from the Chair and Co-Chair Dear Delegates, It is my sincere pleasure to welcome you to the Assassination of General Soleimani Committee at BCHMUN 2021. We will have a great Saturday ahead of us in March, one that I am looking forward to with great anticipation and excitement. I want to assure you that I will not try to be very strict on historical accuracy in the committee room. The main goal of the time will simply be to debate and have a great time. While we spend our time debating and learning about what we must do to make the world a better place, I hope that we all get the best experience possible from our time together in our committee. In our committee I believe that everyone will get something out of it that will make all of us enjoy and relish our time together as we debate towards a solution to the task at hand. Over the past few years I have taken part in many conferences and from experience I know that while some of you may not have as much experience as the person next to you, no matter how much experience you have I trust you will all help contribute towards the debate in your own way. This committee will be a great learning experience for many and I am glad to be able to share my time with you doing what I love. In order to be considered for an award, please send each position paper to my email, [email protected], before March 6, 8 AM EST. If you have any questions let me know and I will get back to you. Both my Co-Chair and I will make your experience as enjoyable as possible. Sincerely, Joe Galvin ‘21 [email protected] Page 3 BCHMUNXXIX Letter from Co-Chair Dear Delegates, My name is Michael Nunes and I am from Canton, Massachusetts. I am a senior at BC High, and I will be the Co-Chair for today’s event. At BC High, I do ski team in the winter and run track and field in the Spring. Outside of school, I like fantasy football and skateboarding. Another club I am apart of besides Model U.N. is the Investment Club where I deal with the constant changes of the stock market and listen to insight from my peers about the future performance of certain stocks. I look forward to the constant changes that will be made during our debate due to your thoughtful consideration of the topic. I cannot wait to meet you all and learn more about you from our debate as well. Sincerely, Michael Nunes ‘21 Page 4 BCHMUNXXIX II. Introduction to Committee The date General Soleimani is assassinated is January 3, 2020. The United States sent a drone strike near Baghdad International Airport that killed Iranian major general Qasem Soleimani who was on his way to meet the Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi in Baghdad. Five Iraqi nationals and four other Iranian nationals were killed alongside Soleimani, including the deputy chairman of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and commander of the Iran-backed Kata’ib Hezbollah militia, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis – a person designated as a terrorist by the U.S. and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Soleimani's killing sharply escalated tensions between the U.S. and Iran. Iranian leaders vowed revenge, while U.S. officials said they would preemptively attack any Iran-backed paramilitary groups in Iraq that they perceived as a threat. Many in the international community reacted with concern and issued statements or declarations urging restraint and diplomacy. Five days after the airstrike, Iran launched a series of missile attacks on U.S forces based in Iraq, the first direct engagement between Iran and the U.S. since the naval battle precipitating the Vincennes incident on 3 July 1988. Questions to consider: What can be done to ease the political tensions growing between the United States and Iraq? What actions should be taken in order to prevent any further violence from both USA and Iraq? How can officials quell the violence and unrest that has emerged in Iraq that has been sending the country into a political frenzy? Page 5 BCHMUNXXIX III. Historical Background A Quick Timeline of events leading up to the Committee meeting: - January 3rd: Shortly after midnight local time, airstrikes hit Baghdad International Airport. Iraq's military-run media agency, the Security Media Cell, was the first to report the attack. In their initial statement, they said that some people were injured, and shared photos of burnt vehicles. - Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) issue a statement saying that "five members and two guests" were killed in the strikes. Shortly after, they say that Qassem Soleimani, as well as Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of the PMF, also known as Hashed al Shaabi, and Mohammed Reza al-Jaberi, the protocol officer and the head of public relations for the group, were killed. - The US Department of Defense issues a statement confirming Soleimani’s death in a US drone strike - Immediate reactions on January 3rd: Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif condemns the assassination on Twitter saying that the US "bears responsibility for all consequences of its rogue adventurism." - Israel's Defense Ministry raises its alert level, amid fears of retaliation strikes initiated by Hezbollah and Palestinian groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad. - The United States announces that it would send 3,000 additional troops to the Middle East amid rising tensions in the region - January 4th: Thousands gather for the funeral procession in Baghdad. The procession passed through the city’s fortified green zone. - NATO suspends training missions in Iraq, citing security concerns. The Iraqi mission employs hundreds of staff members from allied nations and non-NATO countries. - The White House sends Congress formal notice of Friday's strike. The notification was sent under the 1973 War Powers Act, which stipulates that the administration formally inform Congress within 48 hours of committing armed forces to military action. - January 5th: Soleimani's body is returned to Iran and sent to the city of Ahvaz, according to the state-run IRIB news agency. Thousands began gathering in the city to mourn the general. - Iran summons various diplomats, including those from Germany, Switzerland and the US, either over the attacks or their government's subsequent comments. - Iraq’s al-Sadr calls for US and other foreign troops to leave - January 6th: Iraq's United Nations Ambassador Mohammed Hussein Bahr Aluloom urges the UN to condemn Friday's attack - German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson call on "all parties to exercise utmost restraint" as tensions continue to rise in the Middle East. Defense Secretary Mark Esper says the US has no plans to pull its troops out of Iraq. The statement contradicted a letter sent earlier that day from the head of the US military's Task Force Iraq outlining efforts to "reposition forces over the course of the coming days and weeks to prepare for onward movement. Page 6 BCHMUNXXIX IV. Present Situation The situation between Iran and the US continues to escalate, and the two parties are not backing down. “General Soleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region,” the US Pentagon said in a statement. “General Soleimani and his Quds Force were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American and coalition service members and the wounding of thousands more”. The United States continues to justify there motive for attack, but Iran is extremely mad about losing their top general and threatening the US with a possibility of responding attacks on nearby US bases within the country of Iraq. Iran’s foreign minister, Javad Zarif, called the killing of General Soleimani an act of “international terrorism” and warned it was “extremely dangerous & a foolish escalation”. Both of the leading figures in Iran's government, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani, have vowed to take revenge for the killing — or "harsh retaliation" in the words of Khamenei during a televised statement. Many countries have come out to condemn the the assassination of General Soleimani, but others have shown great support of the United States decision to protect the world and its citizens from attacks by General Soleimani. Page 7 BCHMUNXXIX V. Positions - United States - Russia - United Kingdom - France - Germany - Iran - China - Spain - Iraq - Belgium - Dominican Republic - Estonia - Indonesia - Niger - South Africa - Tunisia - Vietnam - Saint Vincent and the grenadines - Afghanistan - Pakistan - Israel - Saudi Arabia - Turkey - U.A.E - Oman - Kuwait - Armenia - Jordan - Qatar - Turkmenistan Page 8 BCHMUNXXIX VI. Bibliography (www.dw.com), Deutsche Welle. “Qassem Soleimani: Timeline of Events Following Iranian General's Assassination: DW: 08.01.2020.” DW.COM, Deutsche Welle, 8 Jan. 2020, /en/qassem-soleimani-timeline-of-events-following-iranian-generals-assassination/ a-51910195. Crowley, Michael, et al. “U.S. Strike in Iraq Kills Qassim Suleimani, Commander of Iranian Forces.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 3 Jan. 2020, www.nytimes.com/ 2020/01/02/world/middleeast/qassem-soleimani-iraq-iran-attack.html. Doucet, Lyse. “Qasem Soleimani: US Kills Top Iranian General in Baghdad Air Strike.” BBC News, BBC, 3 Jan.
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