Iran blacklists 51 Americans for involvement in Soleimani's assassination

Iran's Foreign Ministry on Saturday issued a statement blacklisting 51 more US individuals, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and former National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien, for their roles in the assassination of former military commander Qasem Soleimani.

The new list is in line with Iran's law on "combating human rights violations and the adventurous and terrorist acts of the US in the region", the Ministry added.

"The designated persons, as the case may be, have taken part in decision-making, organising, financing, and carrying out the terrorist act or have otherwise justified terrorism which is a threat to the international peace and security through supporting such egregious terrorist attack," it said. Former US President Donald Trump, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and others were previously listed to be sanctioned for the same reason.

Soleimani, former commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, was killed on January 3, 2020, in a US drone strike on a convoy near the Baghdad International Airport. An Iraqi militia commander was also killed in the attack.

Trump and Pompeo must be "prosecuted for their criminal activity" through a fair mechanism, said President Ebrahim Raisi in a public address on Soleimani's second death anniversary.