A former advisor to Iran’s Qasem Soleimani has said that a Russian officer in Syria as soon as gave the Qods chief 100 Krasnopol guided artillery shells as a reward.
In an post released by Fars news company, an affiliate of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Friday [Dec. 31], Hassan Ravandeh, similar stories about the life and “charismatic” character of the slain commander as a tribute on the 2nd anniversary of his killing.
Ravandeh, who was identified by Fars as just one of the advisors to IRGC’s Qods (Quds) Power, is claimed to have accompanied Soleimani for the duration of his missions and trips throughout the area. He has recently revealed a book about his memoirs of the IRGC’s top guy overseas.
Hassan Ravandeh who spoke with Fars information agency.
He stated that Soleimani was really well known amid other army adult males active in the region, incorporating that he employed to carry souvenirs for the people of most people he was included with. He singled out an unnamed Russian commander who was stationed in the Syrian port metropolis of Latakia that was specially fond of the Iranian commander.
According to the write-up, Soleimani acquired a necklace for his spouse and gold jewelry for his daughters just before shelling out them a visit in Latakia. Amazed by the presents the Russian requested how he could reciprocate the gesture, and Soleimani, reportedly, demanded that they provide him about 1,000 Krasnopol laser-guided artillery shells.
Ravandeh suggests that the Russian commander, who he statements is now the head of the aerospace force of the Russian army, gave Soleimani 100 projectiles simply because they only had 140 out there in their arsenal. He extra that Russia never asked for any funds in return for these a gift, which in accordance to him was worth about $7 million.
The Krasnopol artillery method that guides a shell by laser controlled by an observer, with pinpoint accuracy.
Soleimani was killed in a United States drone assault, requested by former president Donald Trump in January 2020, as he arrived at Baghdad airport from Syria. He was Iran’s top rated navy and intelligence operator in the Middle East, arranging proxy forces.
Soleimani played a major position in the Syrian civil war as the coordinator of Iran’s military services involvement, which includes sending tens of 1000’s of common and irregular forces to struggle in assistance of the Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad.
In June 2014, Iran’s Tasnim information company in a report quoted Normal Mohammad Pakpour IRGC’s floor forces as declaring that the Innovative Guard’s artillery power has upgraded its ability with deploying Krasnopol guided shells.
It is not very clear if Pakpour’s announcement was linked to Soleimani’s trade of gifts with the Russian commander in Syria. Russia was still not formally involved in the Syrian war in 2014, but it most possibly experienced a armed forces mission to help Assad’s forces. Russia entered the war in total drive in September 2015.
It is also feasible that Russia experienced currently provided the artillery shells right before Soleimani requested for extra in Syria. But whether or not in 2014 or later, any Russian transfer of Krasnopol shells would have violated a United Nations arms embargo on Iranapplied in 2007, which expired in Oct 2020, nicely just after Pakpour’s assertion or Soleimani’s dying.