Trump’s big revelation: ‘If Suleimani was alive…’, why did the old enemy remember amid the Iran war?

Why was Soleimani mentioned in Trump’s address?

In his latest and explosive address, US President Donald Trump, on one hand, boasted of his victory over Iran, while on the other hand, he mentioned a name which shocked the whole world. Trump suddenly remembered Iran’s former powerful commander General Qasim Sulemani. After Trump’s statement, the discussion has now intensified in the corridors whether killing Suleimani proved too costly for America or whether Trump is trying to justify his earlier action.

What did President Trump say about Soleimani?

In his speech from the White House, Trump said that Iran has spread unrest throughout the world. Reminiscing about his previous tenure, he said, “I was the one who gave the order to eliminate Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani. He was the ‘father of the roadside bomb’. If Soleimani was alive today, perhaps the tone of our conversation tonight and the situation on the ground would have been different.” Experts believe that Trump’s statement is an attempt to create a special narrative so that the world can be told how important it was to kill Soleimani.

Who was General Qasim Sulemani?

General Sulemani was not an ordinary soldier of Iran. He was considered the second most powerful person in the country after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. He was the chief of Iran’s Quds Force, whose job was to increase Iran’s influence abroad. Be it saving the power of Bashar al-Assad in Syria or defeating the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq, Suleimani’s stature was huge everywhere. This was the reason why he had become an eyesore for America and in 2007 itself, America had declared his force a terrorist organization.

Journey from labor to the top of the army

The story of Qasim Sulemani was no less than a film. Born in a poor family of Kirman, Sulemani started working as a laborer at the age of just 13 to support his family. He did not get a proper education, but his strong physique and his attachment to Khamenei’s ideas changed his life. He joined the army during the Islamic Revolution of 1979 and emerged as a ‘national hero’ in the Iran-Iraq war. After this war, he became Ayatollah Khamenei’s most trusted commander.

How did the ‘Father of the Roadside Bomb’ die?

The news of General Soleimani’s death shook the entire world in 2020. On January 3, 2020, on the direct orders of Donald Trump, a drone attack was carried out on Soleimani’s convoy while leaving Baghdad Airport in Iraq. American missiles had blown up their vehicles. Trump still calls him the ‘Father of the Roadside Bomb’ because Soleimani was accused of having prepared groups that used deadly bombs against American soldiers in Iraq. Today, when Trump is again taking the name of Suleimani, the question is whether Suleimani’s death has made the Middle East more ‘unpredictable’?