Iran issues arrest warrant for Donald Trump over drone strike that killed top general Qassem Soleimani and asks Interpol for help detaining US president
- Trump faces no danger of arrest but the warrant indicates heightened tensions
- Iran said Donald Trump carried out drone strike that killed a top Iranian general
- Tehran prosecutor says Trump could face 'murder and terrorism charges'
Iran has issued an arrest warrant and asked Interpol for help in detaining President Donald Trump and dozens of others it believes carried out the drone strike that killed a top Iranian general in Baghdad, a local prosecutor reportedly said Monday.
While Trump faces no danger of arrest, the charges underscore the heightened tensions between Iran and the United States since Trump unilaterally withdrew America from Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers.
Tehran prosecutor Ali Alqasimehr said Trump and more than 30 others whom Iran accuses of involvement in the Jan. 3 strike that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad face 'murder and terrorism charges,' the state-run IRNA news agency reported.
President Donald Trump waves as he arrives on Air Force One at Austin Straubel International Airport in Green Bay, Wisconsin, U.S. June 25 2020
Alqasimehr did not identify anyone else sought other than Trump, but stressed that Iran would continue to pursue his prosecution even after his presidency ends.
Interpol, based in Lyon, France, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Alqasimehr also was quoted as saying that Iran requested a 'red notice' be put out for Trump and the others, which represents the highest level arrest request issued by Interpol. Local authorities end up making the arrests on behalf of the country that request it. The notices cannot force countries to arrest or extradite suspects, but can put government leaders on the spot and limit suspects´ travel.
Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani, center, attends a meeting in Tehran, Iran, Sept 2016
After receiving a request, Interpol meets by committee and discusses whether or not to share the information with its member states. Interpol has no requirement for making any of the notices public, though some do get published on its website.
It is unlikely Interpol would grant Iran's request as its guideline for notices forbids it from 'undertaking any intervention or activities of a political' nature.
The U.S. killed Soleimani, who oversaw the Revolutionary Guard's expeditionary Quds Force, and others in the January strike near Baghdad International Airport.
It came after months of incidents raising tensions between the two countries and ultimately saw Iran retaliate with a ballistic missile strike targeting American troops in Iraq.
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