Search for missing US airman continues as Trump threatens ‘hell’ if Iran does not reach deal – follow live

Who was Qasem Soleimani?published at 18:35 BST

Ghoncheh Habibiazad
Senior reporter, BBC Persian

An Iranian holds a picture of late General Qasem ​Soleimani, head of the elite Quds ForceImage source, Reuters

As we reported earlier, the US State Department says it has arrested the niece and grand-niece of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani after terminating their lawful resident status.

A loyalist of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Soleimani was seen as one of the most influential figures in recent Middle Eastern politics.

Soleimani became commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in 1998.

He was killed in an air strike near Baghdad airport, ordered by Donald Trump, in January 2020 during Trump’s first term as president.

Born in south-eastern Iran in 1957, he led Iran’s Sarallah 41st Division against Iraqi forces during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s.

Soleimani was reportedly active in leading military operations in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

In March 2019, he was awarded the Order of Zolfaqar, Iran’s highest military honour, making him the first military official to receive it since the 1979 Revolution.

He was sanctioned by the US Treasury for his alleged role in the Syrian civil war.

Visited 1 times, 1 visit(s) today

Related Article

Eugene Mirman, ‘Bob Burgers’ actor, recovering after dangerous crash

April 4, 2026, 3:55 p.m. ET Eugene Mirman, the voice behind Gene Belcher on “Bob’s Burgers,” is recovering after his violent crash. In an April 3 Instagram post, the voice actor thanked the public for sending well wishes, love and kind messages his way. “I am extraordinarily thankful to the heroic people that pulled me

Fresh humiliation for Chairman Xi Jinping as new Xiong’an megacity stalls

The Pyramid of Cheops. The Taj Mahal. Chichen Itza. The Colosseum. They’re among the great wonders of the world. They’re the vanity projects of pharaohs, emperors and priest-kings. And the more things change, the more they stay the same. Chairman Xi Jinping has secured an unconstitutional third term as supreme leader of the Chinese Communist

Jeff Bezos Delayed Launching Amazon Because He Realized He’d Probably ‘Know Nothing’ By The Time He Turne

Before building one of the world’s most valuable companies, Jeff Bezos chose patience over impulse—delaying entrepreneurship to better understand business and the world. Bezos’ Early Career Decision: Why He Didn’t Start Amazon Immediately After graduating from Princeton in 1986, Bezos briefly considered launching a startup with friends. But he ultimately stepped back, believing he lacked

Insiders ‘Would Have If They Could Have’

Elon Musk said Tuesday that being an outsider to both aerospace and auto manufacturing was precisely what allowed SpaceX and Tesla Inc. to do what established rivals had not. In a post on X, Musk shared a clip from a 2015 Tsinghua University interview and wrote, “Indeed, it was because I was not from the

Warren Buffett’s 3 Favorite Stocks for Lifetime Investing

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. › Berkshire Hathaway’s enduring investments in iconic brands like Apple, American Express, and Coca-Cola reflect the conglomerate’s commitment to long-term value creation.Omaha Today As Warren Buffett steps down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, the company’s key stock holdings remain intact, including Apple, American Express, and Coca-Cola. These “Buffett

Warsh Fed nomination hearing set for mid-April

Kevin Warsh, former governor of the US Federal Reserve, during the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Spring meetings at the IMF headquarters in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, April 25, 2025. Tierney L. Cross | Bloomberg | Getty Images The Senate Banking Committee will hold a nomination hearing on April 16 for Kevin

Opinion | The AI Industry Must Take Responsibility for the Communities It’s Destroying

Critics are buzzing about Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez’s estimated $5 million Met Gala sponsorship, noting that while framed as philanthropy, it also serves as elite branding and may deliver limited benefit to the broader arts. A similar pattern appears in tech, where highly publicized giving, grants, and initiatives build brand visibility while directing relatively

Trump-Xi summit: US trade chief casts doubt on pre-meeting Beijing visit

Washington’s top trade negotiator suggested on Tuesday that, in a break from usual practice, members of US President Donald Trump’s cabinet will not visit Beijing ahead of the expected mid-May summit with President Xi Jinping to prepare or discuss deliverables. “I don’t think we’re going to need to do that,” Jamieson Greer, US Trade Representative,

Will this Trump ally’s twin replace him in Congress?

April 4, 2026, 5:02 a.m. ET Texas Rep. Troy Nehls walked down the U.S. Capitol steps last month, stopping to talk to a reporter after puffing on a cigar. The outgoing Rep. Nehls, a Make America Great Again loyalist, is in the final sprint of his congressional career and will likely be replaced in January

Trump fails to bully Supreme Court on birthright citizenship

April 4, 2026, 4:01 a.m. ET On April 1, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the Trump administration’s reinterpretation of birthright citizenship, and it became clear that the justices, per usual, would not be swayed by outside pressures. Every justice on the court expressed some level of skepticism about the administration’s position.  In this

The war in Iran: is Trump ‘on the run’?

As Donald Trump’s war wears on, it becomes increasingly clear that he has no “overarching strategy” and is now fighting a war of attrition, said The Guardian. America is still striking at Iranian targets while building up troops in the region. Iran, in turn, keeps attacking Israel and the Gulf states. Last week, it hit

As Jeff Bezos ‘celebrates’ post on first-ever purchase made on Amazon, Elon Musk replies, says: It was start of …

Jon Erlichman, BNN Bloomberg contributor and the host of Ticker Take, a YouTube channel dedicated to investing and financial literacy recently shared photos of Amazon’s first non-employee purchase. The X post included original packing slip and Douglas Hofstadter’s “Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies,” a book exploring AI and computer models of thought. “On this day

Trump orders DHS to pay all employees despite shutdown

President Trump on Friday ordered the Department of Homeland Security to find a way to pay “each and every employee” of the agency, which has faced an almost two-month-long shutdown due to a congressional impasse, leaving thousands without paychecks.  The president’s memo directs DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell

Warren Buffett Maintains Active Role at Berkshire Hathaway

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. › Despite stepping away from day-to-day operations, Warren Buffett’s guiding hand remains firmly on the wheel at Berkshire Hathaway.Omaha Today Despite stepping down as Berkshire Hathaway’s CEO a few months ago, Warren Buffett is not easing into retirement. The 95-year-old investing icon still drives into Berkshire’s Omaha headquarters

Celebrities at Women’s Final Four

April 3, 2026, 7:43 p.m. ET USA TODAY Sports is providing live coverage of the Women’s Final Four match between the No. 1 UConn Huskies and No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks at the Mortgage Matchup Center. Follow along here. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame artist Flavor Flav is sitting courtside at the Mortgage Matchup

0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x