MNA – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the US’ grave mistake in assassinating Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the IRGC Quds Force, will lead to the withdrawal of this country from the Middle East region.

Zarif made the remarks while speaking live on TV on Friday night, hours after General Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), were martyred in a US airstrike in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.

While discussing today's extraordinary session of the Supreme National Security Council, Zarif said “First we need to see how Americans were tricked into carrying out this dangerous operation. We feel that they made a blunder and were given unwise advice by the leaders of certain regional countries and the Zionist regime.”

“Those who advised the US to go ahead with the assassination held a very deep grudge and animosity toward General Soleimani,” Zarif added.

“This move by Trump was in service of his election campaign and an attempt to escape from impeachment,” Zarif asserted. “His rival party also sees this as nothing but propaganda, and a scapegoat for his own personal matters.”

“We won’t be affected by US’ media hype and chantage. The Islamic Republic of Iran will give a proper response to the US’ move in due time and manner,” Zarif stressed.

Meanwhile, Iran's Supreme National Security Council said in a statement that a harsh vengeance "in due time and right place" awaits criminals behind Soleimani's assassination.

Zarif also held a telephone conversation with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, during which he warned that the assassination of General Soleimani would have consequences for the "US terrorist regime."