TEHRAN - The U.S. government and 41 individuals, including former President Donald Trump, have been sentenced to pay 49 billion dollars for the assassination of top Iranian Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani.

3318 Iranians had reportedly filed a lawsuit asking that U.S. officials be held accountable for the “material, spiritual, and punitive” damages caused by the assassination of the renowned military official. 

A Tehran court dealing with international litigation made the ruling after three public hearings.  The sentence was issued based on Iranian laws designated to counter U.S. terrorism targeting Iran and Iranian citizens. 

The U.S. government and the convicted individuals have also been sentenced to make a public apology for the crime they have committed. Mike Pompeo, Trump’s Secretary of State, is among 41 individuals who have also been pronounced guilty. 

General Soleimani is an anti-terror icon venerated across West Asia. He is largely respected for spearheading the fight against Daesh terrorists in Iraq and Syria during the 2010s. The general was assassinated during a U.S. drone attack near Iraq’s Baghdad International Airport in January of 2020.