Iran issues warrant for Trump’s arrest
US President Donald Trump
AP photo
He and 35 others have been accused of killing Qassem Soleimani
Iran has issued an arrest warrant for US President Donald Trump and 35 others over the killing of top general Qassem Soleimani and has asked Interpol for help, Tehran prosecutor Ali Alqasimehr said on Monday, according to the Fars news agency.
The US and Interpol both dismissed the idea of acting on such a warrant.
The US killed Soleimani, leader of the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force, with a drone strike in Iraq on January 3. Washington accused Soleimani of masterminding attacks by Iranian-aligned militias on US forces in the region.
Alqasimehr said the warrants had been issued on charges of murder and terrorist action. He said Iran had asked Interpol to issue av“red notice” seeking the arrest of Trump and the other individuals the Islamic Republic accuses of taking part in the killing of Soleimani.
Alqasimehr said the group included other US military and civilian officials.
US’s Iran envoy Brian Hook said the warrant was a “propaganda stunt” at a news conference in Saudi Arabia.
“Our assessment is that Interpol does not intervene and issue red notices ... (of) a political nature,” he said. “This is a political nature. This has nothing to do with national security, international peace or promoting stability ... It is a propaganda stunt that no-one takes seriously.”
Interpol said in a statement that its constitution forbade it to undertake“any intervention or activities of a political, military, religious or racial character”. “Therefore, if or when any such requests were to be sent to the General Secretariat,” it added.
The US and Interpol both dismissed the idea of acting on such a warrant.
The US killed Soleimani, leader of the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force, with a drone strike in Iraq on January 3. Washington accused Soleimani of masterminding attacks by Iranian-aligned militias on US forces in the region.
Alqasimehr said the warrants had been issued on charges of murder and terrorist action. He said Iran had asked Interpol to issue av“red notice” seeking the arrest of Trump and the other individuals the Islamic Republic accuses of taking part in the killing of Soleimani.
Alqasimehr said the group included other US military and civilian officials.
US’s Iran envoy Brian Hook said the warrant was a “propaganda stunt” at a news conference in Saudi Arabia.
“Our assessment is that Interpol does not intervene and issue red notices ... (of) a political nature,” he said. “This is a political nature. This has nothing to do with national security, international peace or promoting stability ... It is a propaganda stunt that no-one takes seriously.”
Interpol said in a statement that its constitution forbade it to undertake“any intervention or activities of a political, military, religious or racial character”. “Therefore, if or when any such requests were to be sent to the General Secretariat,” it added.
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