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Thursday, October 29, 2015 | By Dr. Raz Zimmt^[1]

This study is originally published by The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center. The study is structured in nine sections (see below), which if read in conjunction with each other, draws a complete picture of Major General Qasem Soleimani (Haj Qasem), commander of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ Qods Force, instigator of Iranian Subversion and Terrorism in the Middle East and around the Globe.

Following the nuclear agreement of July 2015 between Iran and the West, according to Western reports, Soleimani and the Qods Force were among the list of important Iranian individuals and institutions from which the sanctions previously imposed on Iran would be lifted. Soleimani has been included on several lists of senior Iranian officials on whom international sanctions were imposed. Since March 2007 he has been on the UN Security Council’s list of persons sanctioned as part of Resolution 1747 for his involvement in the Iranian nuclear program. In 2011 he was put on the American sanction list for his involvement in supporting the Syrian regime and the attempted assassination of the Saudi ambassador to Washington. In June 2011 the EU imposed sanctions on him and two other IRGC senior figures, Mohammad-Ali Jafari, the IRGC commander, and Hossein Taeb, chief of intelligence, for their involvement in support of the Syrian regime.

Sources in the American administration initially denied reports of the intention to lift the sanctions on Soleimani. They claimed the Qasem Soleimani on their list was Ghasem Soleimani, responsible for mining uranium in lead mines in Saghand. The American administration later confirmed that Qasem Soleimani would be removed from the list of UN Security Council sanctioned individuals but only eight years after the signing of the nuclear agreement. However, the American Treasury Department clarified the issue, stating that because of his involvement in other illegitimate activities (i.e., subversion and terrorism), Soleimani’s status would not change.

Without relating to the question of whether or not the sanctions imposed on Soleimani would eventually be lifted, his recent trip to Russia illustrated the difficulty of enforcing personal sanctions on him. Russia’s military involvement in Syria and the possibility that it will spread to Iraq indicate the establishment of a new regional coalition composed of Iran, Iraq, Syria and Russia. Iran has already demonstrated its ability to exploit every opportunity to fortify its regional status. Soleimani’s extensive experience and proven talent in advancing Iranian involvement in the Middle East ensure he will continue playing a key role in the future turmoil which is certain to plague the Middle East in the coming years. Whether or not he remains in the Qods Force or enters national politics, he can be expected to continue as an important player in the Iranian leadership and as a key figure in Iran’s regional politics.

You can find the introduction and other sections here:

1. Introduction: Portrait of Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ Qods Force
2. Section 1: A short biography of Qasem Soleimani
3. Section 2: Qasem Soleimani’s involvement in the Syrian civil war
4. Section 3: Qasem Soleimani’s involvement in Iraq
5. Section 4: Qasem Soleimani’s involvement in the Palestinian arena and Israel
6. Section 5: Qasem Soleimani’s involvement in Lebanon
7. Section 6: Qasem Soleimani’s involvement in Yemen and other Middle Eastern states
8. Section 7: Qasem Soleimani’s involvement in internal Iranian politics
9. Section 8: Qasem Soleimani’s public image

Notes:

[1] This study of Qasem Soleimani was written for the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (ITIC) by Dr. Raz Zimmt, a research fellow in the Alliance Center for Iranian Studies in Tel Aviv University and a research fellow at the Forum for Regional Thinking. His fields of expertise include the politics, society, foreign policy and social networks in the Islamic Republic. The study was coordinated with ITIC research fellows and includes information previously appearing in ITIC publications about the Qods Force.