The assassination of General Soleimani and the targeting of the Ukrainian plane as narrated by Eshaq Jahangiri

ترجمه به انگلیسی (English Translation)
Eshaq Jahangiri: The assassination of General Soleimani and the targeting of the Ukrainian plane as narrated by Eshaq Jahangiri

On the morning of January 2nd (Dey 12th) when I woke up, I looked at my mobile phone and realized the horrifying news that the Minister of Intelligence had sent: General Soleimani had been martyred in Baghdad.

I couldn't believe it, so I immediately turned on the television. Unfortunately, the news was true; I had lost a great friend and brother. The system and the Leader had also lost an unparalleled General. I went to the office, prepared the government's statement, and with the President's approval, we declared three days of public mourning. I went to General Soleimani's home; his children were in shock and absolutely did not expect such an event—none of us did.

I cried out loud there, just like everyone else present; I couldn't control myself. Following that, an unprecedented funeral was held for Martyr Soleimani and his companions. No one could have imagined such a crowd bidding farewell to General Soleimani. General Soleimani had stipulated in his will that he be buried in Kerman next to the martyrs of the Sarallah Division and that "Soldier of the Homeland" be inscribed on his tombstone. Honestly, General Soleimani was a great, sincere, courageous, and lovable man. I participated in Martyr Soleimani's funeral ceremony both in Tehran and in Kerman. The responsibility for organizing the ceremonies in all cities across the country was with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and other officials assisted the IRGC.

Unfortunately, the ceremony held in Kerman exceeded the prepared infrastructure due to the massive presence of the crowd, and due to some mismanagement in the ceremony, a large number of our compatriots lost their lives. This left a very bad impact on the morale of the people and damaged the cohesive unity that had formed as a result of the widespread public participation in the funeral ceremony.

During Martyr Soleimani's funeral in various cities across the country, the issue of revenge for this assassination had turned into a public demand, necessitating wisdom and rationality. Action had to be taken in a way that Iran's reaction would not become the prelude to a war with the United States. Even in calls from the heads of some friendly countries expressing condolences over General Soleimani's martyrdom, this issue was alluded to in a way.

The night after Martyr Soleimani's burial, the US Ain al-Assad base in Iraq was targeted by Iranian missile attacks. It was announced, however, that no Americans were killed in these attacks. Videos released from the base showed that the missiles hit buildings and hangars. Following this attack, there were also calls from officials of various friendly countries to the President, who were following up to ensure that no war would occur. On the other hand, through official and diplomatic channels and the Swiss Ambassador in Tehran, the message had been conveyed that this operation was in revenge for the martyrdom of General Soleimani and that Iran was not seeking war with the US. After that, the Iraqi parliament approved the withdrawal of US armed forces from Iraq, which was an important achievement.

Unfortunately, on Wednesday morning (the day after the attack on Ain al-Assad), the news broke about the crash of the Ukrainian passenger plane near Tehran with 176 passengers, which was deeply shocking. In the cabinet meeting that same day, the relevant officials firmly stated that the crash was due to an accident and that we were investigating the cause. Simultaneously, from that very night, rumors spread in foreign media claiming that the plane crashed due to a missile strike, which was categorically denied by the relevant officials, especially the Civil Aviation Organization.

On Thursday, I privately asked the Minister of Roads and Urban Development, who also had a background as a Deputy in the Ministry of Defense, and he, too, confidently stated that there had been no launch and that we were investigating the causes of the crash. These assurances led me to relay the same information during a meeting with Mr. Abdollah Nouri on Friday morning.

However, starting Friday noon, different reports emerged until, finally, the statement from the General Staff of the Armed Forces on Saturday morning officially announced that, due to the error of the air defense operator and given the special circumstances of those days, two missiles had been fired at the airplane.

People were extremely angry that they had been given false information for three days, and they were right to be. Especially since the passengers on this plane were mostly students and individuals studying or working outside Iran, belonging to a relatively young age group, and included a number of children. All of this intensified the public's anger.

Over the course of two nights, I visited some of the families who had lost loved ones on the plane. The words of the fathers, mothers, and other relatives were truly painful. Unfortunately, the actions of the system as a whole in this incident, from the manner of announcing the news to the handling of the situation and the holding of the court, did not help to increase public trust.

Although individuals and officials involved in this matter later apologized and promised investigation and prosecution, the wound created, besides negatively affecting the social capital that had formed with General Soleimani's funeral, resulted in greater distrust towards the country's officials. The important lesson to be learned from such incidents is that one must be honest with the people. Public trust is the greatest asset of the country, and we must not allow it to be harmed under the pretext of protecting any individual or individuals, no matter how important they may be.