Iran denied on Saturday any attempt to assassinate the US ambassador in South Africa in retribution for the assassination of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ top general, Qassem Soleimani. The commander of the IRGC, on the other hand, vowed that vengeance for Soleimani’s killing would be “decisive, serious, and real.”
“We will hit those who, directly or indirectly, contributed to the martyrdom of the noble man [Soleimani],” IRGC Commander Hossein Salami declared in a ceremony addressing military officers and personnel on Sunday, according to Tasnim News Agency.
Soleimani, the former commander of the Quds Force, was murdered on January 3 in a drone operation authorized by President Donald Trump. Soleimani was regarded as the most powerful figure in the IRGC’s extraterritorial operations, which included those in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Lebanon.
The IRGC commander stated that any retaliation for Soleimani would be “honorable, fair, and just, not on a female ambassador to South Africa.”
“If an Iranian’s hair falls out, we shall burn all of your hair. These are major threats. We will not engage in verbal brawls. Everything will be left to the field of battle. We shall continue with courage and power “He continued.
When Politico released a report on Sept. 13 about an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate Lana Marks, a longstanding friend of Trump who began her service as an ambassador to South Africa in October, Iran denied the plot immediately after accusations were made.
The IRGC commander issued the retaliatory statements after South Africa’s State Security Agency stated that it had discovered no evidence to corroborate the Iranian plan reports.
“At this time, the information provided is insufficient to support the allegation that there is a credible threat against the United States ambassador to South Africa,” State Security Agency spokesperson Mava Scott said in a statement, adding that South African officials had met with their US counterparts to request more information.
