Opinion | US killing of Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani is merely its latest affront to international law and order

In a move unprecedented in recent history, United States armed forces in Iraq assassinated Major General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an official branch of the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

First, Soleimani was at the heart of the Iran government’s efforts to help – in response to requests from some peoples and governments in the region – fight the Islamic State militant group, better known as Isis, which the United Nations Security Council designates as a terrorist group.

Second, the assassination of Soleimani by armed forces under the direction of the US president is an obvious example of state terrorism and, as a criminal act, constitutes a gross violation of the fundamental principles of international law, including those stipulated in the UN Charter.

It is ironic that a country that flags itself as the leading power fighting terrorism has attacked a country fighting against terrorism. Interestingly, this atrocious action did not even gain universal support in domestic circles in the US, and has attracted widespread protests and harsh criticism of the US administration from analysts and political figures, who question the legal basis, political logic and moral ground of this provocative undertaking.