Member of National Security Commission: Qassem Soleimani's Trip to Aleppo Was at the Request of the Syrian Government

Javad Karimi Qodusi, a member of the National Security Commission of the Iranian Parliament, stated on Wednesday that Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, traveled to Aleppo at the request of Syrian government officials. In an interview with the judiciary news agency, he emphasized that 'we will never be subject to the oppressive laws of the international system,' asserting that Soleimani's trip to Aleppo was made at the request of the Syrian government and aimed at providing strategies and military cooperation, thus American officials cannot take any legal or political action. John Kirby, the spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, stated on Monday that Soleimani's travel outside Iran violates a United Nations Security Council resolution. He pointed out that under Resolution 2231, Soleimani is listed as an individual subject to travel bans and asset freezes. Karimi Qodusi further expressed hope that one day Soleimani would be able to visit New York and London without American permission, as significant changes are occurring in the U.S. and Europe that are leading people towards Islam. Following operations by Syrian government forces and Iranian-backed Shiite militias, supported by Russian airstrikes, rebels were forced to withdraw from Aleppo, after which photos of Soleimani's presence in Aleppo alongside government commanders were published. Iran and Russia support Bashar al-Assad's regime, and following the recapture of eastern Aleppo, Western countries accused the Syrian government, Iran, and Russia of massacring Syrian citizens. Last week, President Obama stated that the Assad regime and its supporters in Iran and Russia are solely responsible for the civilian deaths in Aleppo. Secretary of State John Kerry also remarked that 'there is no justification for the brutal and indiscriminate killing of civilians by the [Syrian] government and its Russian and Iranian allies in recent weeks and indeed over the past five years.' The British Foreign Secretary summoned the ambassadors of Iran and Russia to express his 'deep concern' regarding the situation in Aleppo, voicing worries about reports of executions and disappearances of opponents, as well as shooting at ambulances.