Qasem Soleimani (Persian: قاسم سلیمانی, born 11 March 1957) is the commander of the Qods Force, the elite branch of Iran's Revolutionary Guards which conducts special operations outside Iran. Soleimani has been very influential in building up the military capacity of Lebanon's Hezbollah, shaping the post-war political landscape in Iraq, and turning around the Syrian civil war. He was the director of the Iranians who assisted Americans in the initial phase of Afghnistan War through secret meetings with Ryan Crocker.
Born: March 11th, 1957
Categories: Iranians, Muslims, Military leaders, Living people, Articles with bare URLs
Quotes: 15 sourced quotes total (includes 10 about)
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Among spies in the West, he appears to exist in a special category, an enemy both hated and admired: a Middle Eastern equivalent of Karla, the elusive Soviet master spy in John le Carré’s novels.
We’re not like the Americans. We don’t abandon our friends.
He is the most powerful man in Iraq without question, ... Nothing gets done without him.
When I see the children of the martyrs, I want to smell their scent, and I lose myself.
Suleimani is the single most powerful operative in the Middle East today … and no one’s ever heard of him.
… softly spoken and reasonable, very polite. … He is simple when you talk to him. You would not know how powerful he is without knowing his background. His power is absolute and no one can challenge this.
Dear General Petraeus, you should know that I, Qassem Suleimani, control the policy for Iran with respect to Iraq, Lebanon, Gaza and Afghanistan. And indeed, the ambassador in Baghdad is a Quds Force member. The individual who’s going to replace him is a Quds Force member.
You are a living martyr.
The whole operation [of Al-Qusayr] was orchestrated by Suleimani. … It was a great victory for him.
The Syrian Army is useless! Give me one brigade of the Basij, and I could conquer the whole country.
He is indeed like Keyser Söze. … Nobody knew who he was and this guy's the same. He is everywhere, but nowhere.
He has ties to every corner of the system. … He is what I call politically clever. He has a relationship with everyone.
All of the important people in Iraq go to see him. … People are mesmerised by him – they see him like an angel.
I entered the [Iran-Iraq] war on a fifteen-day mission, and ended up staying until the end. … We were all young and wanted to serve the revolution.
He is so short, but he has this presence. … There will be ten people in a room, and when Suleimani walks in he doesn’t come and sit with you. He sits over there on the other side of room, by himself, in a very quiet way. Doesn’t speak, doesn’t comment, just sits and listens. And so of course everyone is thinking only about him.