Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, President Hassan Rouhani and Brigadier General Esmail Ghaani, the newly appointed commander of the country's Quds Force, pray near the coffins of Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in Tehran, Iran January 6, 2020. Official Khamenei website/Handout via REUTERS
New York Times: Khamenei Wants to Put Iran’s Stamp on Reprisal for U.S. Killing of Top General
In the tense hours following the American killing of a top Iranian military commander, the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, made a rare appearance at a meeting of the government’s National Security Council to lay down the parameters for any retaliation. It must be a direct and proportional attack on American interests, he said, openly carried out by Iranian forces themselves, three Iranians familiar with the meeting said Monday.
It was a startling departure for the Iranian leadership. Since the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979, Tehran had almost always cloaked its attacks behind the actions of proxies it had cultivated around the region. But in the fury generated by the killing of the military commander, Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, a close ally and personal friend of the supreme leader, the ayatollah was willing to cast aside those traditional cautions.
The nation’s anger over the commander’s death was on vivid display Monday, as hundreds of thousands of Iranians poured into the streets of Tehran for a funeral procession and Mr. Khamenei wept openly over the coffin.
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WNU Editor: Any use of Iranian military forces against U.S. forces or assets will result in an immediate U.S. response and an escalation that will be difficult to control. Truth be told, Iran's options are limited .... Top commander's assassination leaves Iran with very few options to retaliate (Al-Monitor).
