The U.S. is 'reviewing' reports of Qassem Soleimani's trip to Russia

Samantha Power, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, stated on Friday, August 7, that Washington is examining reports regarding Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, traveling to Russia despite UN sanctions. According to the Associated Press, Samantha Power remarked that UN Security Council sanctions obligate all countries to deny Qassem Soleimani permission to travel to their nations, and exceptions can only be made with permission from the committee overseeing the Security Council sanctions against Iran. The U.S. ambassador to the UN added, "As far as we know, the sanctions committee has not issued such an exemption, and if such a permit were issued, we would have been informed." Two U.S. security officials and one Iranian government official confirmed on Friday that the Quds Force commander traveled to Russia and met with officials from that country. Qassem Soleimani has been on the UN Security Council's sanctions list since 2007, and under these sanctions, UN member states are required to deny him permission to travel. The U.S. news network 'Fox News' reported on Thursday that Qassem Soleimani arrived in Moscow on July 24 and met with President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. According to Fox News, the Quds Force commander left Moscow three days later. Meanwhile, the Kremlin spokesperson denied reports of Qassem Soleimani's meeting with Vladimir Putin. In this context, an Iranian official confirmed in an interview with Reuters that the Quds Force commander traveled to Russia and discussed with high-ranking officials of that country. The Iranian official, who requested anonymity, stated that Qassem Soleimani traveled to Moscow in the second half of July and negotiated with Moscow officials regarding regional issues, the export of S-300 missiles, and other weapons to Iran. A senior U.S. official also stated that despite the nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers, sanctions against Qassem Soleimani remain in place. In addition to the UN Security Council sanctions, the Quds Force commander is also on the sanctions lists of the U.S. and the European Union. Following the nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers, reports emerged regarding the lifting of sanctions against Qassem Soleimani. In response to these reports, Wendy Sherman, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, stated that lifting the UN Security Council sanctions against Qassem Soleimani would occur in the second phase of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and only if Iran fulfills all its commitments, which would take place after several years. This senior member of the U.S. negotiating team emphasized that Qassem Soleimani remains on a separate U.S. sanctions list, which is applied for anti-terrorism purposes.