Following Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 U.S. presidential elections, there have been reports in international media outlets – including the Wall Street Journal – that Iran has conveyed to the U.S. administration a written guarantee that it will not assassinate President Trump, who Iran accuses of being primarily responsible for the 2020 U.S. assassination of IRGC Qods Force Commander Qasem Soleimani. Individuals close to the Iranian regime have denied these reports, stating that Iran's policy regarding avenging Soleimani's assassination remains unchanged (See: MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 11454, Since The U.S.'s January 2020 Killing Of IRGC Qods Force Commander Qassem Soleimani, Iranian Regime Officials Have Reiterated Their Intent To Assassinate Trump In Retribution – But Today, Iran Denies Any Connection To The July 13 Assassination Attempt Against Him, July 17, 2024; MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 8960, 'Kayhan' Editor Shariatmadari To Trump: The IRGC Will Take Revenge Against You Personally For Your Involvement In Killing Of Qods Force Commander Soleimani, October 8, 2020; MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 11665, Reactions In Iran To Trump's Election Victory: 'The Return Of The Murderer'; 'The Sword Of Vengeance… Hovers Above Trump's Head'; 'America – The Great Satan'; 'Iran And The Resistance Axis Are Ready', November 8, 2024).
This article will present reactions among Iranian regime-affiliated outlets regarding the regime's determination to take vengeance against President Trump for his role in Soleimani's assassination.
Kayhan: There Is No Guarantee! The Blood Of The Martyr Soleimani Is Heavy Around Trump's Neck; What Sane Person Would Believe That Iran Wants To Give A Guarantee That It Will Not Punish The Murderers Of The Martyr Soleimani?!
On November 15, 2024, the Iranian regime mouthpiece outlet Kayhan published an editorial article titled "Special Report Regarding Vengeance Against Trump For Assassinating Soleimani And Abu [Mahdi] Al-Muhandis: What Guarantee?! The Blood Of The Martyr Soleimani Is Heavy Around Trump's Neck." The following is a translation of the article:
"The Wall Street Journal wrote in a baseless assertion [that] last month, Iran sent in an exchange of messages with Washington a written guarantee that it does not aim to assassinate [President] Donald Trump. This newspaper wrote [that] this exchange of messages with the Joe Biden administration goes back to the period of time before the U.S. presidential elections. The Wall Street Journal, which cited anonymous American sources, wrote that the Biden administration underlined in these messages that it views the threats against Donald Trump as a top-priority national security issue and as an act of war. These threats lie in the statements of Islamic Republic [of Iran] officials [who have spoken about] avenging the killing of Qasem Soleimani by the U.S. in January 2020.
"The Wall Street Journal also wrote that Iran's response may indicate that it is attempting to prevent escalation in tensions with the United States, and this can also be for strategic reasons, such as avoiding additional sanctions or increased diplomatic pressure on Iran. When the Wall Street Journal's assertion was published, 'Voice Of America' underlined that the report cannot be independently confirmed or denied."
Image of Trump and IRGC Qods Force commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani (Source: Vista.ir, November 6, 2024)
"The space in which this American newspaper operates is such that the newspaper itself admits that General Soleimani was assassinated by (Trump's) American administration, and that on this basis and in accordance with all legal criteria, the blood of General Soleimani – who was coincidentally a field commander in the counterterrorism front in the region – weighs heavy on Trump and certain members of his administration. Yet, on the basis of what was said and of the American newspaper's recognition that American politicians were involved in this crime, nobody in Iran can pardon the criminal Trump or give guarantees to the American side that the killers of the martyr Soleimani will not be punished. In addition, alongside the bloodlust of the [Iranian] nation and the Islamic Republic regime, other nations and groups that support the resistance in the region and the world want to avenge the blood of the martyr Soleimani and Abu [Mahdi] Al-Muhandis.
"In addition, since the American regime easily violated a legal agreement – the JCPOA nuclear deal, which is secured by UN Security Council Resolution 2231 – and has violated written and signed commitments before the international community, what sane person would believe that Iran wants to guarantee that it will not punish the killers of the martyr Soleimani?!
"Trump, [former U.S. Secretary of State Mike] Pompeo, and the others accused of this great crime are sure that they will pay for their crimes, and because of this deep historic understanding that he is hated in the region, Trump said five years ago, after a covert visit to Iraq (at Ayn Al-Assad Airbase instead of Baghdad): 'When the [plane] landed in Iraq, [the crew] turned out all the lights before landing, for security reasons. Think about it! We spent seven trillion dollars in the Middle East and we can't go there with the lights turned on! How bad is that.' He also said: 'It is very sad that you spend seven trillion dollars in the Middle East, but in order to travel there you must keep your visit so secretive and use (escort) planes, and the biggest equipment in the world surrounds you and does everything so that you reach your destination safely.'
"Of course, there are those who call Trump stupid, but it wouldn't make sense that he's so stupid that he doesn't understand that there is no guarantee that will save him from punishment."[1]
Knowledgeable Source to IRGC Telegram Channel And Kayhan: Punishing The Killers Of General Soleimani Is Still "On The Table"
On November 16, 2024, the IRGC wrote on its Telegram channel that a knowledgeable source has denied the abovementioned Wall Street Journal reports, and on the following day Kayhan also published the source's statement. The source said that punishing the killers of Qasem Soleimani is still "on the table" and will be carried out along the legal dimension. The following is a translation of the report published by the IRGC on Telegram and by Kayhan:
"A knowledgeable source has denied the claims by the American media outlet that Iran has made a guarantee that it will not take action against Trump, saying that the message that was sent by the Islamic Republic in the framework of the exchange of messages said that Iran will do the necessary monitoring of the martyr Soleimani's killers, and it will not compromise on this issue. The source also said that the necessary monitoring of the killers of Soleimani has different dimensions. [Iran] has told the other side that it will follow in its own way the legal dimensions of the matter."[2]
Kayhan Column: Killing Trump Is A Fair, God-Fearing, And Necessary Action; Too Bad It Hasn't Happened
On November 11, 2024, Kayhan published an edition of its popular column "Conversation," which is a fictional dialogue between a Kayhan writer and a reader, that was titled "Too Bad It Hasn't Happened." In the column, the reader cites Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman as having said that the accusations that Iran has attempted to assassinate President Trump are "suspect, evil, and baseless." The writer answers that even though the claims about an Iranian assassination attempt against Trump are indeed baseless, the assassination of Trump would not be considered an "evil" act. He elaborated that killing Trump for his responsibility in killing Qasem Soleimani, Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, and other individuals would be a "fair, God-fearing, and necessary" action. When the reader describes the assassination attempt as "a landmine" in the "complex" relations between Iran and the United States, the Kayhan writer answers that there is no honor in relations with the "Great Satan [America]" and that Iran does not have any ties – complex or not complex – with it. He also questioned whether the assassination attempt against Trump is indeed a landmine, or whether the landmine was America's assassination of Soleimani, Al-Muhandis, and their companions.
IRGC Telegram channel post from September 8, 2020: IRGC commander Hossein Salami in the Oval Office chastises a humiliated Trump; portraits of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khamenei and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei are on the wall, with then-Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and then-deputy foreign minister (the current foreign minister) Abbas Araghchi standing by. (T.me/sepahcybery/13930)
The following is a translation of an excerpt the "Conversation" column:
"He said: 'The Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman said that "the accusation and assertion that [Iran] tried to assassinate Trump is entirely suspect, evil, and baseless!"'
"I said: 'It is true that the assertion regarding an Iranian assassination [attempt] against Trump is a lie and that the reports that were mentioned are baseless, but why would killing Trump be an 'evil' act?! Assassinating the killer of the martyrs Soleimani, Abu Mahdi [Al-Muhandis], and many other oppressed people is a fair, God-fearing, and necessary action – not evil.'
"He said: 'This is a sort of landmine in the complex relations between Iran and America!'
"I said: 'First of all, a relationship with Great Satan [i.e. America] is [something] embarrassing, and we do not have a complex relationship with America! Complex or not complex! Second, would the killing of Trump be the landmine, or perhaps it was the killing of the martyrs Soleimani, Abu Mahdi, and their companions by Trump?!...'"[3]
Former IRGC Qods Force Deputy Commander Mohammadreza Gholamreza: We Should Hunt Down And Kill Soleimani's Murderers Just Like The Israelis Hunted The Nazis
Mohammadreza Gholamreza, former deputy of IRGC Qods Force commander Qasem Soleimani discussed Iran's retribution for the assassination of Soleimani and PMU deputy leader Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis by President Trump's first administration in 2020, in an interview that was aired on Channel 1 (Iran), on November 3, 2024. He suggested that Iran should adopt the Israeli policy of hunting down Nazis and killing them even after many years have already passed and implement this to the killers of Soleimani and Al-Muhandis.
