TEHRAN –  Hojjatoleslam Mohammad Qomi, head of Iran's Islamic Development Organization, has stressed that retribution for those responsible for the assassination of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani remains a fundamental obligation, saying broader strategic objectives such as the expulsion of the United States from the region do not replace the need to hold the perpetrators accountable.

Speaking at a conference titled The Theology of Retribution, Qomi said those who ordered and carried out the assassination of the late commander of the IRGC Quds Force "must face retribution and be brought to justice."

 Hojjatoleslam Qomi, has stressed that bringing to justice those responsible for the assassination of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani remains a fundamental obligation and should not be overshadowed by broader strategic objectives.

Speaking at a public event, Qomi referred to remarks by the late Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, following Soleimani's assassination, saying the Leader had pledged that the Islamic Republic would avenge the martyred commander by holding his killers accountable.

Qomi said Ayatollah Khamenei had described Iran's missile strike on the Ain al-Asad Air Base, the massive participation of people in Iran and Iraq in the funeral processions for Soleimani and his companions, and the erosion of America's aura of invincibility as significant responses to the assassination.

According to Qomi, the late Leader also emphasized that the eventual expulsion of the United States from the region would constitute a higher strategic level of retribution. However, he said Ayatollah Khamenei had made clear that this objective should never replace the obligation to punish those who ordered and carried out Soleimani's assassination.

"Even if larger strategic goals are achieved, the responsibility to seek retribution against those directly involved in the assassination remains unchanged," Qomi said.

He added that US President Donald Trump should be held accountable for his role in ordering the operation that killed Soleimani and that pursuing justice against those responsible must remain on the agenda.

Qomi also addressed views linking revenge for the late Leader to the elimination of Israel, saying that while some consider the disappearance of the "Zionist regime" to be part of avenging Ayatollah Khamenei's blood, such an objective does not diminish the need to pursue those who planned, ordered, facilitated, or assisted in the assassination of General Soleimani.

Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, commander of the IRGC Quds Force, was assassinated in a US drone strike near Baghdad International Airport on January 3, 2020, in an operation ordered by the US President Donald Trump.