It said the name of Qassem Soleimani is registered in Iranian history as an irreplaceable figure. “During his lifetime he played a strategic role in the security of our country, and Iran and the Resistance Front are indebted to his sacrifices. His martyrdom will undoubtedly give rise to a strategic change in our region.”

The full text of the SCFR statement follows:

In the Name of God, the compassionate, the merciful

Of the believers are men who are true to the covenant which they made with Allah: so of them is he who accomplished his vow, and of them is he who yet waits     (al-aḥzāb, Ayah 23)

“Congratulations and condolences to the people of Iran and the family of General Qassem Soleimani on the martyrdom of this great soldier of Islam. He was indeed thirsty for martyrdom, and he regretted that his peers had gone and he was still in the earthly world. He finally accomplished his dream.

“But the great Iranian nation lost a man who played a key role in defending Iran against foreign conspiracies. As the most popular national figure, he sought to exalt Islam rather than seek ambition and personal power. It was he who defeated ISIS, fabricated by American and reactionaries in the region. It was he who gave confidence to the people of Iran, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan, and all the fighters to defend their rights against foreign aggression.

“Qassem Soleimani’s name will be registered in Iranian history as an irreplaceable figure. During his lifetime he played a strategic role in the security of our country, and Iran and the Resistance Front are indebted to his sacrifices. With his martyrdom, he will undoubtedly give rise to a strategic change in our region.”

Strategic Council on Foreign Relations