The Assassination of Qasem Soleimani and Escalating Tensions between the U.S. and Iran

Courtesy of VOMENA.

The tension between the countries entered a dangerous phase when on January 3rd the US assassinated Maj. Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, in a drone strike at Baghdad International Airport. The assassination had been ordered by Donald Trump.

The killing of Maj. Qasem Soleimani put in motion a series of events that many people feared may lead to another devastating war in the Middle East - but for now there seems to be a worldwide sigh of relief as the U.S. and Iran both appear to signal a desire to avoid further conflict.

So, how did it all begin? Why did the US decide to assassinate Soleimani, and what are the ramifications of this move on Iranian domestic and regional policies as well as the future of any possible negotiations between the US and Iran?

To explore these issues, Shahram Aghamir spoke with Mohammad Ali Kadivar – an Assistant Professor of Sociology and International Studies at Boston College, whose work contributes to political and comparative-historical sociology by exploring the interaction between protest movements and democratization - and Mansour Farhang, Professor emeritus of international relations at Bennington College, who served as the Islamic Republic of Iran’s first ambassador to the U.N. from 1979 to 1980, stepping down in protest after Khomeini's government did not release the 52 Americans held during the embassy siege.