The killing of Iranian Major General and Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani in Iraq by the United States brought strong reactions from around the world; Including: United Nations,UN rapporteur rejects US positions on Soleimani assassination Iran,Message of Condolences from the Leader of the Revolution following the martyrdom of General Qassem Soleimani and his companions United States,(Translation:) Reaction of American officials and media to the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani YJC, retrieved 28 May 2026 Iraq,Iraq's first official reaction to Iran's retaliatory response to the assassination of General Soleimani NATO,NATO suspends Iraq training mission By SARAH WHEATON, Politico, 4 January 2020 G20 states, China, Russia, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea,S. Korea 'closely watching' safety of some 1,600 S. Koreans in Iraq. Mexico, South Africa, Turkey, UK," Afghanistan, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Bulgaria, Cuba, Denmark Egypt, Finland, Georgia, Greece, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar,Qatar foreign minister visits Iran By Muhammed Sabry Emam Muhammed, Anadolu Agency, 4 January 2020 Slovakia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, Yemen, etc.
Supreme Leader (of Iran) Ali Khamenei declared three days of mourning, and vowed to take "harsh revenge" against the U.S. The Iranian president also said that Iran "will take revenge". A number of anti-war rallies were held in more than 30 U.S. cities, asking the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. Thousands marched in 70 cities across the country in New York City, Chicago, Washington, D.C. and others.
On 4 January, a funeral procession for Soleimani was held in Iraq with thousands of mourners in attendance, waving Iraqi and militia flags and chanting "death to America, death to Israel". The procession started at the Al-Kadhimiya Mosque in Baghdad. Iraq's prime minister, Adil Abdul-Mahdi, and leaders of Iran-backed militias attended the funeral procession. Soleimani's remains were taken to the holy Shia cities of Karbala and Najaf. Also, the remains of the bodies arrived in Ahvaz, and then Mashhad. Tens of thousands of mourners in black clothes attended the funeral procession with green, white, and red flags.
United Nations A BBC article on 9 July 2020, has a link to the Report of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions (5 June – 3 July 2020) which states:
"Accordingly, in light of the evidence that the US has provided to date, the targeting of General Soleimani, and the deaths of those accompanying him, constitute an arbitrary killing for which, under IHRL, the US is responsible. The strike was in violation of Art. 2(4) of the UN Charter with insufficient evidence provided of an ongoing or imminent attack. No evidence has been provided that General Soleimani specifically was planning an imminent attack against US interests, particularly in Iraq, for which immediate action was necessary and would have been justified. No evidence has been provided that a drone strike in a third country was necessary or that the harm caused to that country was proportionate to the harm allegedly averted. While there is information suggesting that the US requested, at least in December 2019, that Iraq take action against Kata'ib Hezbollah, no evidence has been provided that Iraq was consulted on how to alleviate any threats posed to the US arising from the visit of General Soleimani, such that Iraq should bear the burden of addressing those threats. No evidence has been produced that there was no time for the US to seek aid from the international community, including the UNSC, in addressing the alleged imminent threats. Major General Soleimani was in charge of Iran military strategy, and actions, in Syria and Iraq. But absent an actual imminent threat to life, the course of action taken by the US was unlawful."
A report by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions, Agnes Callamard, states that the United States did not provide sufficient evidence of an imminent threat to life to justify the attack.
Iran issued arrest warrants for U.S. President Donald Trump and 35 others on charges of murder and terrorism related to the killing. As the commander of the Quds Force, the overseas operations branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Soleimani was a key architect of Iranian policy across the Middle East. He was responsible for the Quds Force's covert missions and for providing guidance, funding, weapons, intelligence, and logistical support to allied governments and armed groups, including Hezbollah, Hamas, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.Soleimani: US strike on Iran general was unlawful, UN expert saysRetrieved 6 APril 2026Soleimani's killing: the communication vulnerabilities of authoritarian statesRetrieved 6 APril 2026
Iran
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei declared three days of mourning, and vowed to take "harsh revenge" against the U.S.
President Hassan Rouhani also said that Iran "will take revenge".
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif posted on Twitter that the attack was "an extremely dangerous and foolish escalation" and released a statement saying that "the brutality and stupidity of American terrorist forces in assassinating Commander Soleimani... will undoubtedly make the tree of resistance in the region and the world more prosperous." But in the leaked audiotape, he declared that "by assassinating [Soleimani] in Iraq, the United States delivered a major blow to Iran, more damaging than if it had wiped out an entire city in an attack".
Majid Takht-Ravanchi, the Permanent Representative of Iran to the United Nations, wrote in an official letter to the United Nations Security Council and Secretary-General António Guterres: "by any measure, is an obvious example of State terrorism and, as a criminal act, constitutes a gross violation of the fundamental principles of international law, including, in particular, those stipulated in the Charter of the United Nations".
Minister of Information and Communications Technology Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi compared Trump to ISIL, Hitler, and Genghis Khan, also calling him a "terrorist in a suit."
Former IRGC commander Mohsen Rezaee posted that "[Soleimani] joined his martyred brothers, but we will take vigorous revenge on America." Soleimani's daughter Zeinab Soleimani said during her father's funeral that "the families of the American soldiers in western Asia will spend their days waiting for the death of their children."
On 4 January, a red flag unfurled above the dome of Jamkaran Mosque in response to the airstrike, that according to Washington Examiner, symbolizes vengeance. While being broadcast on Iran's Channel One, the eulogist at Soleimani's funeral procession addressed a crowd during processions at Mashhad and called for a bounty of US$80 million (roughly US$1 for every Iranian citizen) to be placed on Donald Trump.
On 7 January, Iran's parliament approved a €200 million increase in the Quds Force's budget, to be used in two months. Iran's parliament also voted to declare the United States Armed Forces to be a terrorist organization.
On 8 January, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani praised Qasem Soleimani's merits on fighting ISIS, al-Nusra and al-Qaeda and announced, Iran's "final answer to his assassination will be to kick all US forces out of the region".
The following are reactions from Iranian officials and Soleimani’s family to his death. To Soleimani’s daughter: “Everyone is grieving and grateful to your father. This gratitude stems from his immense sincerity, for hearts are in God’s hands. Without sincerity, people’s hearts would not have been with him in this way. May God bestow His blessings upon all of us.” Described as an “honorable” commander who “courageously fought for years against the evils and bandits of the world.” “His ascension to God does not mark the end of his path or mission; rather, a forceful revenge awaits the criminals.” “The loss of our selfless and dear general is bitter, but the continued struggle and the ultimate victory will make life more bitter for the murderers and criminals.” —January 3, 2020, in a statement reported by Fars News Agency.
Reactions from Iranian opposition groups The People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran, an exiled Iranian militant group, welcomed the killing of Soleimani. Maryam Rajavi, the head of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), stated that the killing is an "irreparable blow for the regime of the mullahs" while she accused Soleimani of being "one of the biggest criminals in Iran's history" and "personally implicated in the massacre of thousands of people in the region". The exiled Tudeh Party of Iran condemned the airstrike, while simultaneously criticizing the Iranian regime for intervening in both Iraq and Lebanon. Reza Pahlavi, heir to the throne of the Shah of the defunct Imperial State of Iran, strongly backed the airstrike and killing of Soleimani saying that it is "a breakthrough that is positive for the region."
Iraq Outgoing Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi condemned the attack, calling it an assassination and stating that the strike was an act of aggression and a breach of Iraqi sovereignty which would lead to war in Iraq and declared three days of national mourning. He said the strike violated the agreement on the presence of U.S. forces in Iraq and that safeguards for Iraq's security and sovereignty should be met with legislation. The prime minister said the U.S. strike violated terms of the U.S. military presence in Iraq, adding that U.S. troops were exclusively in Iraq to train Iraqi security forces and fight Islamic State within the framework of a global coalition.PM says U.S. killing of Iranian commander will 'light the fuse' of warRetrieved 6 APril 2026Iraq Severely Condemns the Brutal American Assassination of Suleimani ...Retrieved 6 APril 2026
Abdul Mahdi said in a statement the U.S. air strike was "a dangerous escalation that will light the fuse of a destructive war in Iraq, the region.PM says U.S. killing of Iranian commander will 'light the fuse' of warRetrieved 6 APril 2026Iraq Severely Condemns the Brutal American Assassination of Suleimani ...Retrieved 6 APril 2026 The media office of the Iraqi military's joint operations forces posted a photo of a destroyed vehicle on fire after the attack. "The assassination of an Iraqi military commander who holds an official position is considered aggression on Iraq ... and the liquidation of leading Iraqi figures or those from a brotherly country on Iraqi soil is a massive breach of sovereignty," Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said.PM says U.S. killing of Iranian commander will 'light the fuse' of warRetrieved 6 APril 2026Iraq Severely Condemns the Brutal American Assassination of Suleimani ...Retrieved 6 APril 2026 …Abdul Mahdi called on parliament to convene an extraordinary session to "take legislative steps and necessary provisions to safeguard Iraq's dignity, security and sovereignty."PM says U.S. killing of Iranian commander will 'light the fuse' of warRetrieved 6 APril 2026Iraq Severely Condemns the Brutal American Assassination of Suleimani ...Retrieved 6 APril 2026
The speaker of Iraq's parliament Mohammed al Halbousi vowed to "put an end to U.S. presence" in Iraq. On January 5 in reaction to the airstrikes the Iraqi parliament passed a bill calling for the expulsion of US troops from the country.
Muqtada al-Sadr, leader of the Sadrist Movement and the Saraya al-Salam militia, ordered his followers to "prepare to defend Iraq". He later called for ceasefire.