FNA - Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Mohsen Baharvand said that the foreign ministry is seriously pursuing assassination case of the martyred Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force Commander, Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, by the terrorist army of the US.

Diplomatic actions have been implemented through letters sent to the Security Council and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, said Baharvand on Thursday.

Judicial investigations must be accurate and without any time limitation, he noted.

Baharvand said that investigations are underway on the case, noting that he may visit Iraq and Syria as part of the investigation.

Trial for any crime is first held domestically and then internationally, he said, adding that different organs in the country, including the IRGC, Judiciary, and Intelligence Ministry are cooperating on the case.

Baharvand said that once the investigations are completed, the process of pursuing the case in international courts will begin.

In relevant remarks last month, Iran’s Judiciary Chief Ebrahim Rayeesi had reassured the nation that Washington will be held to account for the crime.

“The judicial and legal process to pursue Hajj Qassem Soleimani assassination case has started in the Judiciary and an interrogator and a judge have been assigned to file the case and investigate different aspects of martyr Soleimani’s assassination,” Rayeesi said.

He noted that accomplishment of the case is seriously being pursued by the Judiciary, expressing the hope that people and lovers of General Soleimani would soon be informed of the results.

Rayeesi reminded that in addition to pursuing the case at international tribunals, the judiciary will also pursued the case through national courts as the Iranian parliament has authorized the Judiciary to file a lawsuit against the US with internal courts whenever the American government adopts any illegal and aggressive measure against Iranian nationals.

Lieutenant General Soleimani and Deputy Commander of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis were assassinated in a US drone strike on Baghdad International Airport in Iraq on January 3.

On January 8, the IRGC Aerospace Force started heavy ballistic missile attacks on US Ein Al-Assad airbase in Southwestern Iraq near the border with Syria and a US operated airbase in Erbil in retaliation for the US assassination of General Soleimani.

Ein Al-Assad is an airbase with a 4km runway at 188m altitude from sea levels, which is the main and the largest US airbase in Iraq. Early reports said the radar systems and missile defense shields in Ein Al-Assad failed to operate and intercept the Iranian missiles. Unofficial reports said the US army's central radar systems at Ein Al-Assad had been jammed by electronic warfare.

The second IRGC reprisal attack targeted a US military base near Erbil airport in Iraqi Kurdistan Region in the second leg of "Martyr Soleimani" reprisal operation.

Iraq said the attacks had not taken any toll from its army men stationed at these two bases. The US army had blocked entrance into Ein Al-Assad to everyone, including the Iraqi army.

It was the first direct attack on the US army ever since world war two.

The IRGC officials said none of the missiles had been intercepted.

Iran has repeatedly stressed that Ein Al-Assad missile attack was just the start of its revenge for the US assassination of its top General, and not the end of it. Tehran has declared expulsion of the US troops from the region as its ultimate goal.