Iran's Quds Force struggling for relevance 5 years after Soleimani's death
Already shaken and crisis-hit after Soleimani, the Quds Force has been commanded by a low-charisma successor and remains on a path of diminishing influence, with its operational capability targeted by deadly Israeli campaigns and crippled by the fall of the Syrian regime.
TEHRAN — This week, the Iranian government marked the fifth anniversary of the death its most powerful general, Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a US airstrike near Baghdad International Airport in January 2020.
Speeches were delivered and gatherings were held to commemorate Soleimani as a "national hero" who had a pivotal role in "defeating terrorism" beyond Iran's borders in the capacity of the commander of the Quds Force, the overseas branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The Soleimani assassination, ordered by then-President Donald Trump, sent shock waves across the Middle East and marked a new height in US-Iran tensions, bringing the two archfoes to the brink of war.
During a ceremony in Tehran on Thursday, President Masoud Pezeshkian referred to Soleimani's killing as proof of Western "lies" about human rights. "We will adhere to our rightful stance and will rub their noses in the dirt," Pezeshkian said, without elaborating on Iran's latest approach in pursuit of Soleimani revenge plans.
