(INVESTIGATIVE PROJECT) The U.S. drone strike killing of Iranian Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani on Jan. 3 has real potential to dent Iran’s malign activity in the Middle East, and beyond. But how long this effect might last is still very much an open question. The answer depends significantly on how the United States responds to future tests.
Soleimani was undoubtedly a central component of Iran’s aggression and terrorist export program. The months leading up to his assassination provide prominent examples of that leadership.
The Iranian regime, led by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, has been economically bled by American sanctions, and it responded by activating Soleimani and his Quds Force, as well as the wider Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), to take increasingly aggressive action.
