General Qassem Soleimani’s worldview was forged as “a direct result of US involvement in the Iran-Iraq War”. That’s the judgement of US General Stan McCrystal, a former commander of US forces in Iraq. The significance of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War on the psyche not just of Soleimani but on the whole of the Iranian regime cannot be overstated. Most of the senior figures in Tehran, from Supreme Leader Khamenei and President Rouhani downwards, had searing experiences in that war. The Soviet Union and France piled in to support Saddam, quickly followed by the US, the UK, and virtually every other world power.

Source: The Times January 06, 2020 17:03 UTC