The Weekly: Our most important stories from last week

The Weekly is a brief look back at the most consequential news from last week with a view to putting them in context. Published every Monday, The Weekly retells each of the selected stories, adds a little perspective, and gives directions as to where things may be headed.

The news last week (December 31, 2019 to January 5, 2020) was dominated by one act of folly: the assassination by the United States military of Iran’s top anti-terror general. The assassination triggered massive impacts that are likely to stay center stage for months.

An effective act of war

On Friday, January 3, 2020, the United States military assassinated Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), in Iraq.

Commander of Iran’s Quds Force, PMU deputy head martyred in US strike

The director of public relations of pro-government Hashd al-Sha’abi forces has been killed after three Katyusha rockets fell on Baghdad International Airport.

That was the most brazen act of aggression by the US against the Islamic Republic in the 40 years since the 1979 Revolution, and was an act of foolishness that even former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama had refrained from committing.

Lieutenant General Soleimani, a top military strategist, had been commanding a sweeping range of operations on the ground across Syria and Iraq against the Daesh terrorist group since 2014, bringing an end to the terrorist group’s territorial rule in 2017. He was also the recipient of Iran’s highest military order, the Order of Zulfaqar, and was massively popular with the Iranian people.

Foreign observers have already described the assassination as “tantamount to an act of war.” So have former US officials.

While Lieutenant General Soleimani made routine trips to Iraq and Syria to oversee the operations against Daesh, at the time of his assassination, he was in Baghdad to relay Iran’s reply to a message from Saudi Arabia handed over to Iran earlier via Iraq regarding de-escalation in bilateral ties, according to Iraqi Caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi.

Soleimani was to deliver Tehran's reply to Saudi de-escalation letter when killed: Iraqi PM

Iraq

The assassination was carried out by the US military as Lieutenant General Soleimani left the Baghdad airport. The attack, a drone strike, also killed Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), as well as eight other people.

Iran pledges ‘harsh revenge’

The assassination set in motion an array of geopolitical effects.

US President Donald Trump was unusually muted for hours after the assassination, merely posting a low-resolution US flag on his Twitter page, and the Pentagon did the talking. It said the assassination had taken place specifically on Trump’s order, and because Lieutenant General Soleimani had been planning attacks on US interests in the region.

Iran denied that assertion, and The New York Times later reported that US military officials themselves had questioned the US’s putative rationale for the assassination.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei swiftly pledged “a harsh revenge” on America.

Iran Leader vows 'harsh revenge' following assassination of Gen. Soleimani

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says a harsh revenge will be taken against the criminals who assassinated IRGC Quds Force Commander Major General Qassem Soleimani.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council also held an emergency meeting to lay out the country’s response that same day.

On Sunday, January 5, 2020, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary general of Hezbollah, presented the Lebanese resistance group’s own response.

US soldiers, officers will go home in coffins after Soleimani assassination: Nasrallah

The Hezbollah chief says the US act of terror marks the start of a new era in the Middle East.

The Iraqi PMU, too, promised similar retaliation.

Trump commits folly after folly

Mr. Trump, suddenly out-spoken, then several times threatened Iran with more strikes, including on “Iran’s cultural sites.”

Trump doubles down on rhetoric to strike Iran cultural sites

Trump has doubled down on his threat to strike Iranian cultural sites, asserting that the US has the right to bomb such targets.

It is unlikely that he is receiving any counsel from people in the know. His secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, had earlier posted footage of what he said were Iraqi people dancing on the streets because of Lieutenant General Soleimani’s assassination. Shortly afterwards, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis organized and took part in funeral processions for Lieutenant General Soleimani on the streets of Baghdad, Karbala, and Najaf. In fact, they requested that the general’s body stay in Iraq for those processions before it is transferred to Iran.

Soleimani’s body to be transferred to Iran after funeral processions in Iraq

The body of Iranian Commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, who was assassinated by the US military early on Friday, is to be transferred to Iran after funeral processions in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, and the cities of Najaf and Karbala.

Zarif calls Pompeo a ‘clown masquerading as a diplomat’

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif didn’t let Pompeo off the hook. In a tweet, and following the massive funeral processions in Iraq, Mr. Zarif called the US official a “clown masquerading as a diplomat.”

Iraq votes to expel American troops

But, while the US will have to be on constant alert for Iran’s response, perhaps the most immediate effect of the assassination came on Sunday, January 5, 2020, when the Iraqi parliament voted to expel the American troops in Iraq.

Iraqi lawmakers approve bill to expel US forces from country

The lawmakers, in line with their national and regulatory responsibilities, singed the four-point draft.

That is now pending Prime Minister Abdul-Mahdi’s approval.

Iran suspends all enrichment limits under nuclear deal

And, in another major setback for America, Iran decided to suspend its commitments regarding enrichment under a multilateral nuclear deal that Trump had unilaterally withdrawn America from in 2018.

Iran announces decision to take fifth step to scale back JCPOA commitments

Iran announces its decision to take the fifth and final step in reducing its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal.

While the timing and nature of Iran’s response to Lieutenant General Soleimani’s assassination is unknown, the US will have good reason to fear a strong one. And together with the effective suspension of the nuclear deal, the Trump administration, and the world, will have much to anticipate in the days and weeks to come.

Stay tuned!

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk