By: Terresa Monroe-Hamilton

TEHRAN, IRAN – SEPTEMBER 18: Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani (C) attends Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s (not seen) meeting with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in Tehran, Iran on September 18, 2016. (Photo by Pool / Press Office of Iranian Supreme Leader/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

I did not write on this last night because quite frankly I was too busy celebrating the bastard’s death to write. I was Snoopy Dancing. I tweeted it out and a couple of trolls stated that this would cause more American deaths. They have no idea who this butcher was. I am glad he’s dead — it should have happened long ago and I am proud of President Trump for giving the orders to take him out.

The U.S. military, at the direction of President Trump, took out Iran’s most significant military figure, Qasem Soleimani, in airstrikes in Baghdad early Friday morning in a huge blow to the Islamic Republic. He was second only to Ayatollah Khomeini. Make no mistake, this is bigger than Bin Laden… this guy had far more blood on his hands. I have a pic of his untimely demise that I will not share because of its gruesome quality. But suffice it to say, he got what he so richly deserved.

Four precision missiles fired from a U.S. drone struck the two cars carrying Soleimani and his entourage, according to U.S. officials. The cars were struck on an access road near the Baghdad airport in the early hours of Friday. Soleimani had reportedly just arrived to Baghdad on a flight from Syria. Airport logs show a Cham Wings flight arriving from Damascus at 12.34 am Friday Baghdad time, but it’s unclear whether Soleimani was on that commercial flight or a private charter.

The Pentagon confirmed in a statement that it killed Maj. Gen. Soleimani, the commander of Iran’s elite military forces, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force, as well as the commander of Iranian-controlled Shia militia forces in Iraq, Syria, and around the world. What you don’t hear is that we also rounded up other Quds Force leaders for interrogation.

“The reported deaths of Iranian General Qassem Suleimani and the Iraqi commander of the militia that killed an American last week was a bold and decisive military action made possible by excellent intelligence and the courage of America’s service members,” said Lt. Col. (Ret.) James Carafano, vice president of the Heritage Foundation’s Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy. “His death is a huge loss for Iran’s regime and its Iraqi proxies, and a major operational and psychological victory for the United States,” Carafano added.

Angry demonstrators torch US and British flags on the streets of Tehran today after the death of commander Soleimani.

From Breitbart:

“Phillip Smyth, an expert at the Washington Institute on Iran-controlled Shia militias and the Middle East, agreed.

“This is a major blow,” he said. “I would argue that this is probably the most major decapitation strike the United States has ever carried out. … This is a man who controlled a transnational foreign legion that was controlling governments in numerous different countries.”

“Smyth said Soleimani had a cult of personality, as well as a unique leadership role in the Iran-controlled Shia militia network.

“He had a hell of a lot of power and a hell of a lot of control,” he said. “You have to be a strong leader in order to get these people to work with you, know how and when to play them off one another, and also know which Iranians do I need within the IRGC-QF, which Lebanese do I need, which Iraqis do I need … that’s not something you can just pick up at a local five and dime. It takes decades of experience.”

“Several other experts also agreed that Soleimani’s death was even more significant than al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden’s, or Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s.

“The Pentagon indicated that Soleimani’s death would have a significant operational impact.

“General Soleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region,” the Pentagon said in a statement. “This strike was aimed at deterring future Iranian attack plans. The United States will continue to take all necessary action to protect our people and our interests wherever they are around the world.”

“The Pentagon said Soleimani had orchestrated attacks on U.S.-led coalition bases in Iraq over the last several months, including one on December 27 which killed an American contractor and wounded U.S. service members and Iraqi personnel.

“The Pentagon also said Soleimani approved the attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad that took place earlier this week.

“The group that carried out the December 27 attack, Kata’ib Hizballah, is the same group that pioneered the use of explosively formed penetrators that killed and maimed hundreds of U.S. service members during the Iraq War, according to Smyth.

“Carafano argued that Soleimani’s death should be treated similarly to bin Laden’s. Trump designated the IRGC-Quds Force a foreign terrorist organization in April, essentially labeling Soleimani a terrorist leader.

“The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), led by Suleimani, was responsible for the deaths of more than 600 Americans in Iraq between 2003-2011, and countless more injured. He was a chief architect behind Iran’s continuing reign of terror in the region. This strike against one of the world’s most odious terrorists is no different than the mission which took out Osama bin Laden – it is, in fact, even more justifiable since he was in a foreign country directing terrorist attacks against Americans,” he said.

“According to local reports, the U.S. airstrikes also killed Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the leader of the Badr Organization, one of Iraq’s most powerful Iranian-controlled Shia militia groups.

“It’s an incredible two-fer,” Smyth said. “This is another one of those old hands. These guys don’t grow on trees. It takes time.”

“The U.S. airstrikes also reportedly killed the public relations chief for the umbrella group of Iran-controlled Shia militia in Iraq, the Popular Mobilization Forces, Mohammed Ridha Jabri, as well. Smyth said Jabri had some significance to the militia network as a spokesman, but his death would not be of the same significance as Soleimani or al-Muhandis.

“As for what to expect next, Smyth said a response could come in many forms and in different places and perhaps not be even recognized as a response. But he pushed back against the notion that the U.S. started a war with Iran with the death of Soleimani.

“Iran has been at war with the United States since the Islamic Revolutionary regime took power in Tehran in 1979. To say that we are going to war or that this is yet another American escalation — I think we need to be a little more detailed,” he said.

“He said over the past year, Kata’ib Hizballah, was launching rockets and mortars at Americans in Iraq and eventually killed one.

“Over the past couple of years we’ve had a number of issues in the Gulf, we’ve had a number of issues in different countries, we’ve had international terrorism issues, you name it, you can throw everything at the wall, and the Iranians have in some way been behind some of it. Even arm supplies to the Taliban … so this didn’t just appear in a vacuum because ‘we didn’t like the Iranians,’” he said.

“Carafano said going forward, the Trump administration must keep its maximum pressure strategy in place.

“What the administration must offer now is firm diplomacy backed by the continuing, credible threat of the use of military force. President Trump has wisely shown that he will act with the full powers of his office when American interests are threatened, and the extremist regime in Tehran would be wise to take notice,” he said.”

They say they identified Soleimani’s remains by the ring he wore. DNA confirmation is pending.

The United States designated Iran’s IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization in April 2019, the first time the United States has designated part of a foreign government as a terror group. “The IRGC FTO designation highlights that Iran is an outlaw regime that uses terrorism as a key tool of statecraft and that the IRGC, part of Iran’s official military, has engaged in terrorist activity or terrorism since its inception 40 years ago,” the State Department announced at the time.

The IRGC was responsible for 17 percent of U.S. personnel deaths in Iraq from 2003 to 2011, which is about 603 deaths, the department said.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is now vowing revenge for America’s actions against the IRGC. Earlier today I heard that we were hardening our assets against the very real possibility of a cyber attack. I would not look for a direct response from Iran but one that would be hard to tie to them. That’s just how they roll. But who knows.

“Years of sincere, brave efforts fighting against the devils & villainous in the world and years of wishing for martyrdom on the path of God finally took the dear Commander of Islam, Soleimani, to this lofty status. His blood was shed by the most barbaric of men,” Khamenei said in a statement posted on Twitter. Evil deflection if you ask me. Khamenei praised Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy commander of Iran-backed militias in Iraq known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, calling them martyrs.

Soleimani’s efforts “won’t be stopped by his martyrdom, by God’s Power, rather a Severe Revenge awaits the criminals who have stained their hands with his and the other martyrs’ blood last night. Martyr Soleimani is an international figure of Resistance and all such people will seek revenge,” Khamenei said.

“All friends—and enemies—know that Jihad of Resistance will continue with more motivation and definite victory awaits the fighters on this blessed path. The loss of our dear General is bitter. The continuing fight and ultimate victory will be more bitter for the murderers & criminals.”

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani added in a Friday statement that the U.S. airstrike was “a villainous and cowardly measure.”

“The great nation of Iran will take revenge for this heinous crime,” he said.

President Trump said in a statement Friday morning that Soleimani was “directly and indirectly responsible for the death of millions of people, including the recent large number of PROTESTERS killed in Iran itself.”

“He should have been taken out many years ago!” he added. I could not agree more.

Brigadier General Esmail Qaani was appointed the new commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force after the United States killed Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad, Iraq. Khamenei appointed Qaani less than 12 hours after Soleimani was killed, reported Radio Farda. Khamenei said in a decree that the new commander is “one of the most distinguished Revolutionary Guard commanders.”

“The orders for the (Quds) force remain exactly as they were during the leadership of martyr Soleimani,” Khamenei said in the decree. “I call on the members of the force to be present and cooperate with General Qaani and wish him divine prosperity, acceptance, and guidance.”

Qaani, a top aide to Soleimani, fought in the Iran-Iraq war and was an intelligence official in the corps. He’s known for his hardline stance against Israel and played a key role in Iran’s involvement in the Syrian civil war, Radio Farda reported. A picture of Qaani wasn’t immediately available.

The State Department is now urging Americans to leave Iraq. “Due to heightened tensions in Iraq and the region, we urge U.S. citizens to depart Iraq immediately. Due to Iranian-backed militia attacks at the U.S. Embassy compound, all consular operations are suspended,” the alert from the department stated. “U.S. citizens should not approach the Embassy.”

President Trump does not want or seek war but he won’t shirk from protecting Americans, our troops, our diplomats, and our allies. By putting us in a position of strength, Iran may stop escalating its move towards all-out war. But if they don’t, the U.S. is ready to engage. As Rumsfeld put it, weakness invites aggression.

“General Qassem Soleimani has killed or badly wounded thousands of Americans over an extended period of time, and was plotting to kill many more…but got caught!” Trump tweeted Friday, in his first direct comments about Soleimani’s death and the U.S. airstrike. “He was directly and indirectly responsible for the death of millions of people, including the recent large number of PROTESTERS killed in Iran itself.”

“While Iran will never be able to properly admit it, Soleimani was both hated and feared within the country,” he continued. “They are not nearly as saddened as the leaders will let the outside world believe. He should have been taken out many years ago!”

As for Iraqi citizens… many were dancing in the streets having heard this monster is dead. Trump has indeed called the Ayatollah’s bluff but this is just the beginning and not the end of our dance with Iran.