Ceremony Held to Commemorate Martyr Soleimani

Iran on Monday held nationwide commemorations to honor the second anniversary of top commander General Qasem Soleimani’s martyrdom. 
The main televised event was attended by President Ebrahim Raisi who said the military leader was a school of thought in and of itself, President.ir reported. 
“He is remembered as a nation and a school of thought and this cannot be destroyed with missiles or terror,” Raisi said. 
“He was both courageous and wise… He had a revolutionary outlook and he was not complacent. He believed he had to do everything in his power and that’s how he lived,” he added.
Soleimani was on a diplomatic mission in Baghdad when missiles fired from a US drone targeted his convoy and killed him along with Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis near the Baghdad airport.
The strike was directly ordered by former US president Donald Trump and escalated tensions between Tehran and Washington. 
Five days after the assassination, Iran in retaliation launched ballistic missiles at the Al Asad air base in western Iraq, injuring American troops. 
Ahead of the anniversary, Iran called on the United Nations General Assembly to take legal action against the United States for the “unbelievable assassination”. 
Raisi in his speech said that Soleimani strived to resolve people’s problems, was a defender of all religions and aimed to rid the region of enemies. 
“The message of Martyr Soleimani to us,” Raisi said, “is not to acknowledge any obstacles in the way of solving the public’s problems, saving the country’s economy and pursuing the goals of the revolution.” 
The president condemned General Soleimani’s assassination and called for the prosecution of Trump, former secretary of state Mike Pompeo and others involved in the heinous crime. 
The UN rapporteur for extrajudicial killing in July 2020 has concluded in a report that the general’s assassination was “unlawful” and “arbitrary” and violated the UN Charter.
The ceremony was attended by members of the general’s family, commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Hossein Salami, mayor of Tehran Alireza Zakani and other military and government figures.
Health protocols were observed during the event as all attendees were instructed to wear facemasks and follow social distancing rules. 
Commemoration ceremonies have been held across the country in the past few days ahead of January 3 to mark the general’s passing. 
Many of the events have taken place in the province of Kerman, the general’s hometown.