US Envoy Warns Soleimani’s Successor Faces ‘the Same Fate’

Warns Gen. Ghaani against attacks 'on Americans or American interests'

The US assassinated Iran’s Quds Force commander, Gen. Qassem Soleimani, earlier this month. This almost started a war, and with tensions still high, US envoy Brian Hook is now threatening to kill Soleimani’s successor.

Gen. Esmail Ghaani has taken over as head of the Quds force, and Hook warned if he “follows the same path of killing Americans then he will meet the same fate.” He added that if the general made “any attack on Americans or American interests” he’d face a decisive response.

Ghaani says he intends to follow the “luminous path” of Soleimani, who is extremely popular in Iran. The Iranian government added that they view the threats against Ghaani as a sign of “governmental terrorism.”

Hook, however, says this is nothing new in US policy, and that intentions were always to decisively react against officials if they attack American interests. Doing so always risks escalating tensions or raising the stakes in tit-for-tat violence, but it is fair to say that is nothing new in US policy.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.