People mourn at the grave of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of Iraq's paramilitary Hashd Shaabi forces during a third anniversary of his assassination at cemetery in Najaf, Iraq, January 2, 2023. Al-Muhandis and Iran's top general Qassam Soleimani were killed in an US air strike in Baghdad in 2020. (PHOTO / AP)
TEHRAN – The Iranian judiciary chief said on Tuesday that criminal charges have been issued against those involved in the assassinations of Iran's late commander Qasem Soleimani and the deputy commander of Iraq's paramilitary Hashd Shaabi forces Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in 2020.
Mohseni-Ejei praised the Iraqi judicial authorities for their measures in fighting terrorism and following up on the assassinations of the Iranian and Iraqi commanders and their companions
Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei made the remarks in a meeting with President of Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council Faiq Zidan in Tehran, in which they also discussed the bilateral ties and cooperation, according to Mizan news agency of the Iranian judiciary.
Mohseni-Ejei said the criminal charges were issued following accurate and comprehensive judicial reviews, expressing hope that justice would be served to those behind the two commanders' assassinations.
He praised the Iraqi judicial authorities for their measures in fighting terrorism and following up on the assassinations of the Iranian and Iraqi commanders and their companions.
The Iranian official described as very important the role of the two countries' judicial apparatuses in the further expansion of the already growing ties.
Zidan, for his part, said the Iraqi judicial apparatus, along with all its subsidiaries, is making considerable efforts to strengthen "positive and constructive" relations with Iran.
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He stressed that the depth of the "fruitful" relations between Iraq and Iran was manifested best in their fight against the Islamic State (IS) terrorists.
The Iraqi official welcomed Iran's criminal charges against those behind the assassinations of Soleimani and Muhandis.
Following their meeting, the two officials signed a MoU on developing and deepening legal and judicial interactions. Another cooperation MoU was signed between the two countries' chief prosecutors.
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On Jan 3, 2020, the US military assassinated Soleimani and Muhandis, along with a number of their companions, in a drone strike near the Baghdad International Airport.
The assassination was condemned by Iran as "state terrorism."
In remarks in January this year, Kazem Gharibabadi, deputy chief of the Iranian judiciary, said 94 US nationals have been charged with being involved in Soleimani's assassination.