Cuba’s communist regime promoted the signing of a condolence book for Iranian terror chief Qasem Soleimani in its state newspaper Thursday.
Soleimani and several members of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a coalition of Iranian proxy militias, were the target of a U.S. airstrike near Baghdad International Airport in Iraq last week, a significant blow to the Iranian regime and its military interests.
Tehran pledged to respond with “harsh vengeance” against America. The regime launched over a dozen underwhelming rocket attacks against U.S. assets that resulted in no casualties and minimal property damage. Many analysts believe the attack was an attempt by Iran to save face on the international stage. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced they do not seek any further escalation.
Iran took & concluded proportionate measures in self-defense under Article 51 of UN Charter targeting base from which cowardly armed attack against our citizens & senior officials were launched.
We do not seek escalation or war, but will defend ourselves against any aggression.
— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) January 8, 2020
The regime forced millions to attend a funeral for Soleimani, where dozens of people were killed in a stampede.
Iran has also attracted sympathies from authoritarian regimes around the world. The Cuban state propaganda outlet Granma urged citizens to visit the Iranian embassy in Havana to pay their respects to the late terror chief:
The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran announced the opening of a Book of Condolences for the death of Lieutenant General Qasem Soleimani, a victim of a US air strike in Iraq.
The diplomatic mission of the Persian country considered Soleimani one of the nation’s highest military and iconics figure in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism in Western Asia.
The Book of Condolences will be open at the Iranian embassy, located on 5th. avenue, No. 302 corner 30, Miramar, Havana, until today January 10, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, and from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm (PL).
Soleimani’s assassination was condemned by other left-wing Latin American regimes such as Nicolás Maduro’s Venezuela.
This week, a senior member of Nicolás Maduro’s socialist regime, party leader and documented drug trafficker Diosdado Cabello, made a visit to the Iranian embassy in Caracas to mourn Soleimani’s death. According to the Iranian-owned Spanish-language propaganda outlet HispanTV, Cabello expressed his “true compassion and solidarity, as well as our pain and outrage.”
“We consider General Soleimani a martyr of the Bolivarian Revolution,” he told the outlet. “We extend our condolences from the government and the nation of Venezuela to the people and armed forces of the Persian nation.”
The Cuban state-propaganda outlet Granma declared this week that America had sought to land “imperial darts” against Iran and its leadership.
“Once again, the United States is the cause of an international conflict, with incalculable consequences for peace and security on the planet,” the editorial noted.
The editorial went on to accuse the U.S. of violating the United Nations Charter, despite the Cuban regime’s plethora of human rights abuses and violations of international law.
“With their attack on Soleimani, the U.S. trampled on the United Nations Charter again by invoking its right to ‘protect its personnel abroad,’” it asserted. “It is not the first time it has used deception to attack other countries without presenting clear evidence.”
Cuba and Iran have long maintained friendly relations. The respective regimes share an “anti-imperialist” vision based on opposition to the U.S. and many of its allies. The two countries have built strong trade links aimed at reducing the impact of economic sanctions, while Cuba remains a strong supporter of Tehran’s desire to develop its own nuclear weapons.
Follow Ben Kew on Facebook, Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart.com.
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