Iran has issued a “red notice” request for the arrest of US President, Donald Trump through Interpol.
Iranian judiciary spokesman, Gholamhossein Esmaili announced during a press conference that Iran has requested the international police organisation arrest President Trump and 47 other American officials identified as playing a role in the assassination of Iranian top general Qassem Soleimani last year.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran is very seriously following up on pursuing and punishing those who ordered and executed this crime,” Esmaili told reporters.
Soleimani, Iran’s top general who led the foreign operations arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was assassinated on January 3, 2020, in a US drone strike in Baghdad ordered by President Trump.
The assassination was deemed to be against international law by Agnes Callamard, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.
This is the second Iranian request for an international arrest warrant for President Trump and dozens of US officials in the Pentagon and US Central Command, among other organisations.
In June, Tehran prosecutor Ali Alqasimehr issued an arrest warrant for Trump and dozens of US officials saying they face “murder and terrorism charges”.
However, the France-based Interpol rejected Iran’s request, saying its constitution forbids it from undertaking “any intervention or activities of a political, military, religious or racial character”.
Renewed talks of prosecuting Trump and other US officials come as part of Iranian promises to avenge Soleimani one year after his murder in an American drone strike in Iraq.
The request also come shortly before Trump has to leave office on January 20, something Iran hopes could boost his chances of facing consequences.
In a ceremony in Tehran to mark Soleimani’s assassination anniversary, judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi said Trump was a main target of prosecution and should not be immune because of his political status.
“Fortunately, Trump’s presidency has ended. But even if his term hadn’t ended, it would be unacceptable to say someone shouldn’t be accountable to law due to his administrative position,” he said.
Ali Kadkhodaei, the spokesman of the powerful constitutional vetting body, the Guardian Council, also said last week Iran would legally pursue Trump after he leaves the White House.
Mr Kadkhodaei said Trump’s legal immunity as head of state is problematic for legally pursuing him, but “some international experts hold the view that after Trump’s presidency is over this might be possible”.
Tensions between Iran and the US have been on the rise around the first anniversary of Soleimani’s assassination.
The US has flown nuclear-capable B-52 bombers over the Gulf several times in the past month and reversed its decision to get a Navy aircraft carrier out of the region on Monday, January 4, citing renewed threats by Iranian officials.
“Due to the recent threats issued by Iranian leaders against President Trump and other US government officials, I have ordered the USS Nimitz to halt its routine redeployment,” said the statement by the Pentagon.
“The USS Nimitz will now remain on station in the US Central Command area of operations. No one should doubt the resolve of the United States of America.”
Iran, on the other hand, has warned that hawks in the US and Israel may be trying to start a war in Trump’s remaining days in office.
