WWW.TEHRANTIMES.COM I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 16 Pages Price 40,000 Rials 1.00 EURO 4.00 AED 39th year No.13573 Monday JANUARY 6, 2020 Dey 16, 1398 Jumada Al Awwal 10, 1441 Ayatollah Sistani condoles Iran takes fifth and last Tehran says responded Books recount Ayatollah Khamenei over step to end commitment appropriately to Pompeo’s stories about Soleimani’s martyrdom 2 to JCPOA 2 ‘undiplomatic’ letter 3 Qassem Soleimani 16 Iraqi parliament passes resolution on U.S. Nasrallah to U.S. terrorists: See page 13 troop withdrawal Iraqi parliament has voted to have for- eign troops removed from the country, heeding to a call from its caretaker prime minister. The move comes after US as- sassination of a top Iranian general and a commander of Iraqi militia. 13 Go home or End of U.S. malign presence in West Asia has begun: Zarif TEHRAN — Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Sunday that end of the United States’ “malign presence” in West Asia has begun. sent in coffins “Whether kicking or screaming, end of US malign presence in West Asia has begun,” Zarif said in a tweet. Zarif also condemned U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats of targeting 52 Iranian sites, including cultural ones, reminding him that targeting cultural sites is an instance of “war crime”. 2 World reacts to Trump’s threat to raid Iranian culture targets as ‘a war crime’ By Afshin Majlesi TEHRAN — Donald Trump’s new threat to attack 52 important targets in Iran, including cultural sites, has provoked a strong backlash worldwide, with many calling it a “war crime.” Photo Illustration by Bahman Vakhshour On Saturday, the U.S. president said on Twitter that his military would strike “very important” targets related to Iran if the Iranians attempted to take retaliatory action against the U.S. for the assassination Tehran Times/ Tehran Times/ of a senior military commander in the Iraqi capital Baghdad early on Friday. 10 EDITORIAL Soleimani played a pivotal role in combating terror movements: Adib Moghaddam ARTICLE Mohammad Ghaderi By Payman Yazdani Friday, was hailed as a charismatic brave hero defeating ISIL which is a real threat for the Morteza Helali Tehran Times editor-in-chief TEHRAN (MNA) — Chair of the Centre for in Iran and beloved by the troops. Once, Iran’s region and even for Europe, Caucuses and Mehr News Agency @ghaderi62 Iranian Studies at the London Middle East In- leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called him a Central Asia. He also had a great role in con- journalist stitute says General Soleimani played a pivotal “living martyr”. fronting the U.S. regional policy and plans role in combatting terror movements such as Soleimani devoted his life to defend Iran’s aiming at redesigning the map of countries Hegemons’ media Daesh, both in terms of military strategy and national interest in the region so he is con- in the Middle East. Is there going to be a ideological outreach. Whereas the role of the sidered as a national hero for Iranian people Following his martyrdom, we discussed the warfare to complete United States and other regional actors such as regardless of their different political and re- role of General Soleimani in tackling the U.S. war between Hezbollah Saudi Arabia has been ambiguous. ligious tendencies. and Saudi backed ISIL threat in the region with the Soleimani General Qassem Soleimani who was martyred Many believe that Soleimani was not only Professor Arshin Adib-Moghaddam, Chair of the and Tel Aviv? by a U.S. airstrike ordered by President Don- a national hero for Iranian people but also he Centre for Iranian Studies at the London Middle assassination ald Trump at Baghdad International Airport on was a person who played a significant role in East Institute. 11 ebanon and Palestine share a 79-kilo- meter-long border that has suffered project Lfrom tensions at different times due to the Zionist regime’s expansionist pol- he media outlets of the hegemonic Johnson faces heat for silence on Iran while on holiday icies. Israel’s withdrawal from southern system have made certain efforts Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson is due world tensions could spiral into war after Iran threat- opposition Labor party, said Johnson “should Lebanon in 2000, was not the end of Tto ignore Major General Qassem to return Sunday to the UK, where he faces crit- ened revenge against the U.S, which has sent 3,000 have immediately cut short his holiday to deal its aggression in the border areas with Soleimani’s attempt in confronting icism for not cutting short his holiday to deal more soldiers to Kuwait. British Foreign Secretary with an issue that could have grave consequences Lebanon, as it still has occupied parts of terrorism, naming him only an Iranian with soaring Mideast tensions. Dominic Raab has defended Johnson, saying the for the U.K. and the world.” In an op-ed in The the country. commander and downplaying his interna- Johnson, who celebrated the New Year on two have been in constant contact during this time. Observer, Labor’s foreign policy spokeswoman While Zionist Regime’s officials, es- tional and special role in the fight against the Caribbean private island of Mustique after The British government has upgraded its trav- Emily Thornberry, who is in the race to take over pecially Foreign Minister Israel Katz and terrorism. leading his Conservative Party to a strong ma- el warning for the Middle East and dispatched from Corbyn, said she was astonished Johnson Defense Minister Naftali Bennett, launches In a desperate attempt, the media out- jority in the Dec. 12 election, has been silent over two warships to escort UK-flagged ships passing hadn’t said anything 48 hours after the strike rhetoric against Iran and the Lebanese lets are trying to portray the martyrdom of the U.S. slaying Friday of Iranian Gen. Qassem through the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipment and wondered if he was afraid of angering U.S. resistance, its top military and security General Soleimani as an irreparable loss Soleimani in a drone strike. corridor for world oil supplies. President Donald Trump, who ordered the slaying. sources are highly concerned about any for Iran, while the history of resistance Soleimani’s death stoked fears that heightened Jeremy Corbyn, the outgoing leader of the (Source: AP) war with Hezbollah. has shown that with the martyrdom of The Zionists’ endless fear of the each commander, the next ones have led power of the Lebanese resistance the resistance movement stronger, more At least 30 killed in Libya military academy attack In a recent position, a military analyst enthusiastically and determinedly. At least 30 people were killed and 33 others There has been an increase in air strikes and shelling earlier in a phone call that the number of dead and at the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahron- They are trying to imply that the U.S. wounded in an attack on a military academy in around Tripoli in recent weeks, with fears that fighting wounded was still rising. Tripoli ambulance service oth reported that Lebanon’s Hezbollah terrorist act was a precautionary move the Libyan capital late on Saturday, the health could escalate further after Turkey’s parliament voted spokesman Osama Ali said some body parts could not has become more powerful over the past against terrorism, while all the oppressed ministry of the Tripoli-based government said to allow a troop deployment in support of the GNA. be immediately counted by forensic experts. decades because of Israel’s failure and people around the world see Soleimani as in a statement on Sunday. Tripoli, controlled by Forces allied with the GNA described Satur- Earlier, the ambulance service appealed for a weakness, and now owns 150,000 missiles. a great commander who fought against the internationally recognized Government of day’s attack on the military camp at Al-Hadhba temporary ceasefire to allow its crews to retrieve The analyst added that the regime terrorism, which based on lots of evidence National Accord (GNA), is facing an offensive as “an aerial bombing” launched by their eastern the bodies of five civilians killed on As Sidra Road must now establish peace on the south- was created by the U.S. in the region. by military commander Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan rivals. An LNA spokesman denied involvement. in southern Tripoli and to evacuate families. ern borders and prepare itself for military The wave of numerous regional and National Army (LNA) that began in April. GNA Health Minister Hamid bin Omar told Reuters (Source: Reuters) operations on the northern borders. international reactions to the martyrdom The analyst also said, “Hezbollah is now of General Soleimani, coupled with hatred capable of launching 1500 or even more and condemnation of the assassination, missiles a day at Israel and easily capture reveal global anger at the terrorist nature of ‘General of Israeli settlements on the northern bor- the United States. The global anger drives ders. We should be prepared for possible from Iran’s genuine work in establishing the Hearts’ conflict that may occur at any moment. security in face of the U.S. behavior in Israel is going through a difficult phase”. creating insecurity in the world. The Commander-in-Chief of the Israel Another point is that the statements by honored from Defense Rav Aluf Aviv Kochavi stated, “Peace Iraqi officials condemning the assassination with Hamas is a strategic necessity so that reveal that the claims over the coordination southwest to the Israeli army can confront the imminent between the Iraqi government and the U.S.