Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations Majid Takht-Ravanchi has called on the international community to condemn the killing of IRGC commander Khodaei, warning that the “terrorist and criminal act” would have grave consequences.
“Bearing in mind the dangerous consequences of such terrorist acts on international peace and security, the international community should strongly condemn such brutal assassinations targeting innocent citizens of other countries by well-known state terrorism of certain regimes”, Takht-Ravanchi said in an appeal directed to UN chief Antonio Guterres.
The Iranian diplomat warned that “inaction and silence in the face of such a provocative and norm-breaking act will only encourage and embolden its perpetrators and their accomplices to continue their disgraceful and wrong acts”.
He added that condemning “this atrocious act” was part of the UN’s responsibilities in fighting terrorism.
Takht-Ravanchi suggested that Khodaei’s murder was in line with the “systematic assassinations of innocent Iranian citizens and scientists by certain regimes”, and called the killing a violation of the UN Charter and international law.
“We will use all available mechanisms to hold the perpetrators of this terrorist crime and their supporters accountable”, the ambassador promised.
Takht-Ravanchi did not call out Israel by name. However, an intelligence official told The New York Times on Wednesday that Israel had “informed American officials that it was behind the killing” of the 50-year-old Iranian commander.
The NYT’s source said the killing was meant to serve as “a message” to Iran to stop the operations of "Unit 840", an alleged secretive formation within the IRGC’s Quds Force responsible for kidnappings and assassinations outside Iran. Khodaei was said to have been in charge of Unit 840’s Middle East operations, but to have also engaged in planning attacks on Israeli, American, and European nationals in Colombia, Cyprus, Kenya, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Iranian officials and media have made no public mention of "Unit 840", characterising Khodaei as a veteran of the Iran-Iraq War, and a commander in covert IRGC operations across Syria and Iraq battling jihadist militants from Daesh (ISIS)*, al-Qaeda*, and other terrorist groups over the past decade.
Thousands of mourners flocked to Tehran’s streets on Tuesday for Khodaei’s funeral, shouting “Death to Israel!” and other anti-Israel and anti-US slogans, hailing Khodaei as a martyr and vowing “revenge”.
Khodaei is the most senior Iranian official to be killed since the assassinations of Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani and Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in January and November of 2020, respectively.
Soleimani, also known for battling terrorists across Syria and Iraq, was assassinated in a US drone strike at Baghdad Airport during a diplomatic mission. Fakhrizadeh was killed in an attack on his vehicle on a rural road in Absard near Tehran by a remotely operated machine gun, becoming at least the sixth senior Iranian nuclear scientist to be assassinated since 2007. Iran blamed Israel for the latter killing, and then-Mossad chief Yossi Cohen hinted at Israel’s responsibility in a rare interview in late 2021.
* Terrorist groups outlawed in Russia and many other countries.