09.10.15

‘When Sanctions Lift, Iranian Commander Will Benefit’

Iran’s Worst Of The Worst Receive ‘Significant Sanctions Relief’ Thanks To President Obama’s Deal

 

“There will be significant sanctions relief for the leader of the Quds force, a special unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard accused of supplying militants with weapons to kill Americans during the Iraq war, under the new Iran nuclear deal. Gen. Qasem Soleimani will have his travel ban lifted and foreign assets unfrozen -- sanctions imposed by the UN -- if the deal goes as planned.” (“Iranian General Accused Of Helping To Kill Americans To Receive Sanctions Relief In Nuclear Accord,” ABC, 7/14/15)

“That Soleimani—who runs Iran’s elite paramilitary and covert operations group, the Quds Force—was even on the list appeared to catch some U.S. officials by surprise. A senior administration official briefing reporters on Tuesday morning didn’t have a ready response when asked when and why Soleimani was added. Secretary of State John Kerry reportedly denied that the 58-year-old general was on the list to be freed from the sanctions yoke.” (“Nuke Deal Helps Qasem Soleimani, The Top Iranian General With ‘American Blood on His Hands’,” Daily Beast, 7/14/15)

 

Gen. Suleimani: The Mastermind Behind The Killing Of Hundreds of U.S. Soldiers, Global Terrorist Attacks

“Suleimani took command of the Quds Force fifteen years ago, and in that time he has sought to reshape the Middle East in Iran’s favor, working as a power broker and as a military force: assassinating rivals, arming allies, and, for most of a decade, directing a network of militant groups that killed hundreds of Americans in Iraq. The U.S. Department of the Treasury has sanctioned Suleimani for his role in supporting the Assad regime, and for abetting terrorism.” (“The Shadow Commander,” The New Yorker, 9/30/13)

“In the smoldering geopolitical feud between the U.S. and Iran, spymaster Major-General Qasem Soleimani is emerging as director of the Islamic Republic's effort to spread its influence abroad and bedevil the West.” (“Iran's Spymaster Counters U.S. Moves in the Mideast,” Wall Street Journal, 4/6/12)

“Senior U.S. and Arab officials say it was Gen. Soleimani's idea to harass and bleed American forces for years in Iraq by arming Shiite militias there. The general's elite Qods Force of soldiers and spies oversees Iran's support for groups fighting Israel, including Hezbollah and Hamas.” (“Iran's Spymaster Counters U.S. Moves in the Mideast,” Wall Street Journal, 4/6/12)

  • “In 2004, the Quds Force began flooding Iraq with lethal roadside bombs that the Americans referred to as E.F.P.s, for ‘explosively formed projectiles.’ The E.F.P.s, which fire a molten copper slug able to penetrate armor, began to wreak havoc on American troops, accounting for nearly twenty per cent of combat deaths. E.F.P.s could be made only by skilled technicians, and they were often triggered by sophisticated motion sensors.” (“The Shadow Commander,” The New Yorker, 9/30/13)

“It is not the first time Gen Soleimani has faced the jihadists. In neighbouring Syria he is widely credited with delivering the strategy that has helped President Bashar al-Assad turn the tide against rebel forces and recapture key cities and towns.” (“General Qasem Soleimani: Iran’s Rising Star,” BBC, 3/6/15)

“In 2010, according to Western officials, the Quds Force and Hezbollah launched a new campaign against American and Israeli targets.” (“The Shadow Commander,” The New Yorker, 9/30/13)

  • “Since then, Suleimani has orchestrated attacks in places as far flung as Thailand, New Delhi, Lagos, and Nairobi—at least thirty attempts in the past two years alone. The most notorious was a scheme, in 2011, to hire a Mexican drug cartel to blow up the Saudi Ambassador to the United States as he sat down to eat at a restaurant a few miles from the White House.” (“The Shadow Commander,” The New Yorker, 9/30/13)

 

Soleimani Joined In The ‘Get-Out-Of-Sanctions Club’ By Others Who’ve Called For ‘Erasing Israel Off The Map’

“And Soleimani is not alone. The man whom retired general and ex-CIA director David Petraeus once called ‘truly evil’ is joined in the get-out-of-sanctions club by other military officers, including a Revolutionary Guard Corps general, Mohammad Reza Naqdi, who said that ‘erasing Israel off the map’ should still be Iran’s objective, even if the country’s isn’t allowed to build a nuke.” (“Nuke Deal Helps Qasem Soleimani, The Top Iranian General With ‘American Blood on His Hands’,” Daily Beast, 7/14/15)

“Joining him are Brigadier General Mostafa Mohammad Najjar, a former interior minister and minister of defense who also advocated attacking Israel.” (“Nuke Deal Helps Qasem Soleimani, The Top Iranian General With ‘American Blood on His Hands’,” Daily Beast, 7/14/15)

“Brigadier General Hossein Salami, who said Iran’s quest for modern weapons was guided not by military strategy, but by religion.” (“Nuke Deal Helps Qasem Soleimani, The Top Iranian General With ‘American Blood on His Hands’,” Daily Beast, 7/14/15)

“Amir Ali Hajizadeh: Hajizadeh currently commands the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps air force, and oversees a good deal of Iran’s missile technology. In a recent interview, he boasted of Iran’s continued support for violent and destabilizing organizations, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Palestinians, and Assad in Syria.” (“Meet 7 Dangerous Iranians Who Will No Longer Be Sanctioned,” The Daily Signal, 7/23/15)

“Ahmad Vahidi served as Iran’s Minister of Defense from 2009-2013. In the early 1990s he was the commander of the Quds force, a special unit of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. During this time he spearheaded the 1994 bombing of a seven-story Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which claimed the lives of 85 people.” (“Meet 7 Dangerous Iranians Who Will No Longer Be Sanctioned,” The Daily Signal, 7/23/15)

 

###
SENATE REPUBLICAN COMMUNICATIONS CENTER

Related Issues: War on Terror, Iran, Iran Nuclear Deal