Iran says US asked for proportionate response to Soleimani killing

CAIRO – 4 January 2020: Iran’s Deputy Commander of the Revolutionary Guards said on Saturday that Washington had asked Tehran to respond "in proportion" after killing top military commander Qasem Soleimani.

Soleimani, the commander of its Quds Force foreign operations arm, was killed before dawn Friday in a US drone strike in Baghdad, along with nine others, AFP reported.

Tehran vowed to avenge.

Hours later, according to Rear-Admiral Ali Fadavi, the Americans "resorted to diplomatic measures... on Friday morning.”

They "even said that if you want to get revenge, get revenge in proportion to what we did", he added.

Fadavi did not specify how Iran had received the message.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in separate television interview on Friday night that "Switzerland's envoy transmitted a foolish message from the Americans this morning".

The Swiss official "was summoned in the evening and received a decisive response in writing... to the Americans' audacious letter," Zarif added.

But Fadavi said the United States was not in a position "to determine" Iran's response.

"The Americans must await severe revenge. This revenge will not be limited to Iran," he said.

"The 'Resistance Front', with a vast geography, is ready to materialise this revenge," he added, referring to Iran's allies across the Middle East.