The consequences of the assassination

Sabah Zanganeh

Last year, the United States decided to assassinate General Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, to change the course of Iran’s foreign policy and strike at their influence in the region; An evil act that ultimately failed to achieve Washington’s goal because Iran’s foreign policy is resolute and coherent. The martyrdom of Haj Qasem Soleimani had many consequences, including the fact that Iran was deprived of the blessing of having a charismatic, well-thought and active personality who contributed to the coherence of policies and whose experience guaranteed the success of Iran’s decisions and orientations in the region. The lasting legacy of Martyr Soleimani was that  his management system did not revolve around one individual and the system did not operate on the basis of the presence of one individual, but there was a coherent structure and organization to pursue policies. As a result, after his martyrdom this system did not collapse and has continued its mission of securing Iran’s interests in the region.
Martyr Soleimani also collaborated with diplomats at various times and helped policies move forward better. One of these collaborations, during which I also worked directly with him, was to help educate the Bosnian people. When the Bosnian people were experiencing a difficult situation, Martyr Soleimani knew it was his duty to help them. On the issues of Syria and Iraq, I also had meetings with him; I saw how he could dominate all aspects of a crisis and offer solutions to resolve crises.
General Soleimani was active in the region for more than a decade. With the initiatives he took, it was necessary for him to be able to lead, design and implement issues on the ground, as well as to act in the scene of negotiations and political coordination. By gathering these two wings, he was able to counter the serious threats that existed in the region.
Although it cannot be claimed that in the first place it is possible to achieve such a degree of efficiency in today’s conditions, the fact that a system was able to tolerate the loss of a personality like General Soleimani and continue to operate highlights the pertinence of Iran’s regional policy structure. 
Iran has always set a general policy of threat prevention as the basis of its work in the region. In recent years, there have been serious threats against Iran in the region, including the efforts of the ISIS terrorist group to establish itself in the region. Iran was able to eliminate this threat with the aid of the extraordinary characteristics of Martyr Soleimani. If general policies are properly defined, these policies will not be changed by the absence of personalities, and Iran’s regional policy is subject to the same law. Iran’s main regional policy is to prevent threats. Given that one of the main threats is currently the presence of US troops in the region and their destabilizing role in various Middle Eastern countries, the policies of the Islamic Republic and how to deal with these threats have been examined and decided. 
Currently, with Joe Biden winning the presidential election and the end of Donald Trump’s period in around a month’s time, it is still unclear what changes may occur in the role and mission of US forces in the region. It seems that the entirety of Iran’s political, security and military institutions are aware of the sensitivity of the situation and with attention to possible scenarios have considered plans for the future. Generally, three variables will be influential in determining Iran’s future policy in the region:
1- The inauguration of the Biden administration and the unveiling of the policy that his administration will pursue in the Middle East in practice, regardless of its positions.
2- The Syrian election and the changes that may occur in the political arena of this country.
3-Iran’s election and the (glorious) role of the people through religious democracy in determining policies.
These variables can be effective in changing policies and adopting measures and methods, but these variables do not include general policies such as the principle of threat prevention.
Another policy that will remain in place is to take revenge on the United States for the martyrdom of the commander of the Iranian forces. The United States continues to play a negative and tense role in the region and insists on actions such as assassination and causing turmoil. In these circumstances, it is natural for the Islamic Republic to continue its deterrence policies.
It is important to note that the Islamic Republic of Iran does not allow the United States to determine the manner of revenge, the time of revenge and its conditions, and to force Iran to take action that will later be used as a pretext for greater consensus and pressure on our country. Iran’s response to the actions of the United States and its regional allies will be intelligent and appropriate, and all methods of punishing the perpetrators of this illegal and inhumane assassination have been examined.
If the Americans continue to pursue coercion and militarism in the region and pursue their policies in the Middle East in this way, they should know that Iran will not remain silent in order to sacrifice its interests. The martyrdom of General Soleimani had many consequences; the first one is that the forces who committed this crime must leave Iraq.