Iran will proportionately respond to US terror act: Javad Zarif

Zarif said his country's response to the killing of Qassem Soleimani would come in due course.

TEHRAN (Web Desk) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Tuesday said that the Islamic Republic will respond proportionately to the United States  assassination of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).

"This is state terrorism," Zarif said in an interview with CNN on Tuesday, referring to the targeted killing of Soleimani and his companions, including deputy head of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, in a drone strike ordered by US President Donald Trump on their motorcade in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad early on Friday.

"This is an act of aggression against Iran, and it amounts to an armed attack against Iran, and we will respond. But we will respond proportionately - not disproportionately ... We are not lawless like President Trump," the top Iranian diplomat added.

He added that Trump had displayed a "lack of respect" for international law by threatening to hit “very important” targets related to Iran if the Islamic Republic seeks retaliation.

In a Saturday tweet, Trump said, "We have ... targeted 52 Iranian sites (representing the 52 American hostages taken by Iran many years ago), some at a very high level & important to Iran,” making a reference to the 1979 US embassy incident in Tehran.

The interview came as Iran s parliament voted unanimously for a motion declaring all US forces as "terrorists" on Tuesday, according to Iran s state-news agency IRNA. The vote took place during the country s parliamentary session Tuesday, IRNA reported. After the plan was approved, delegates chanted, "Death to America."

Tensions between Iran and the US have escalated since Qasem Soleimani, the head of Iran s powerful Quds Force, was killed on Friday.

Images from inside Iran showed streets packed with mourners clad in black to bid farewell to Soleimani, who was revered as a hero and is now being celebrated as a martyr. Iranian state television said millions of people attended his funeral, although this figure has not been verified.

"President Trump, after watching the crowds yesterday, must stop threatening these people who will be further enraged by his threats -- his threats will not frighten us," Zarif said. He added: "A war was started a long time ago by the United States, the United States destroyed stability in this region, the United States undermined security in this region."

US denies Zarif visa to attend UNSC meeting

Earlier, Iranian foreign minister had denounced Washington s refusal to issue him a visa for attending an upcoming United Nations Security Council meeting, saying US statesmen are vastly terrified of someone going to their country and conveying the truth to the American people.

Zarif explained that his ministry had "weeks ago" requested a visa to take part in the January 9 Security Council meeting on the importance of upholding the UN Charter, rejecting as false claims by American officials that they did not have time to process the application.

"The Americans are trying to create the impression that our request to attend the meeting was put forth following the assassination of General Soleimani. He [Secretary of State Mike Pompeo] has told UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres that they couldn t issue the visa due to shortage of time. Whereas the request had been sent several weeks in advance," he noted.

The US visa denial comes in outright violation of the terms of a 1947 UN Headquarters agreement which requires Washington to allow foreign officials into the country for UN affairs.

The US State Department and the US mission to the United Nations did not respond to a request for comment, or a request to explain what the US legal basis was for barring Zarif from entering the country.