Gen. Soleimani 'architect of peace among Islamic nations'

"General Soleimani was not only a hero in fighting terrorism and security protector of the region, but he was also a general and architect of peace, reconciliation and brotherhood among Islamic nations and states. Martyr Soleimani knew the original enemy and he looked at distant horizons. So, the initiative of Iraqi mediation between Saudi Arabia and Iran came from Martyr Soleimani’s strategic point of view," Kan'ani wrote in a tweet on Thursday in reaction to an article by former Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi published on the website of Iraq's Al-Ahad TV channel on Tuesday.

Abdul-Mahdi has lauded late Iranian anti-terror commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani as a “pacesetter” in the recent agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore diplomatic ties and re-open diplomatic missions. 

He praised General Soleimani, former commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), as the one who “launched” the groundbreaking deal.

Abdul-Mahdi said during a state visit to China in September 2019, he received a phone call from General Soleimani who asked him if he could visit Saudi Arabia and act as an “intermediary” between Iran and the kingdom.

After several days of intensive negotiations hosted by China, Iran and Saudi Arabia finally clinched a deal on Friday to restore diplomatic relations and re-open embassies and missions within two months.

Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran in January 2016 after Iranian protesters, enraged by the execution of prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr by the Saudi government, stormed its embassy in Tehran.

The two sides had held five rounds of negotiations in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad since April 2021.