Iran’s Araghchi pays tribute to Soleimani during visit to Iraq

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Baghdad on Saturday to attend the 52nd session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.

Upon arrival, Araghchi visited the site where Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis were killed in a US drone strike in January 2020, paying tribute to the two men.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency shared footage of the visit.

Soleimani, who headed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, was a key figure in Iran’s regional military and security policy.

Al-Muhandis was the deputy head of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an umbrella organization of paramilitary groups that includes Iran-backed factions.

Both men were killed in a US drone strike targeting their convoy near Baghdad International Airport on January 3, 2020.

The attack was ordered by US President Donald Trump and marked a major escalation in tensions between Washington and Tehran.

The strike also heightened tensions in Iraq, where Iran-backed factions called for the withdrawal of US forces from the country.

Iran later launched missile attacks on Iraqi bases hosting US troops in retaliation for Soleimani’s killing.

The site has since become a location for commemorations marking the anniversary of their deaths.