Qassem Soleimani killing: Could Iran and US go to war?
Assassination of Iran’s top army commander by US sparks fears of a major military confrontation.
The killing of General Qassem Soleimani, who led the elite Quds Force in Iran‘s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was ordered by US President Donald Trump.
A US air raid hit his convoy near Baghdad International Airport on Friday.
The assassination marks a dangerous escalation in US-Iran tensions.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned there would be “harsh revenge”.
A senior Iraqi official also died in the attack, and all Americans have now been advised to leave Iraq because of the threat of reprisal attacks.
Presenter: Darren Jordon
Guests:
Hamed Mousavi – professor of political science at the University of Tehran
Ellie Geranmayeh – deputy director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations
Marwan Kabalan – director of policy analysis at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies at the Doha Institute