Trending Topics
|
Iranian General Soleimani's Rising Profile
(Wall Street Journal) Sune Engel Rasmussen - Gen. Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Quds Force, is responsible for the deaths of thousands of American soldiers and their Middle East allies. But his public profile in Iran is soaring. In a recent poll from the University of Maryland, 64.7% of Iranians had a "very favorable" view of Gen. Soleimani, compared with 23.5% for Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, suggesting that the main architect of Iran's wars in the Middle East is the most popular official in the country. That is a sign of support for Shiite Iran's aggressive push for influence in the Middle East. "He is like an ambassador of Iran's power...I think all Iranians are proud of him. Who wouldn't be?" said Ramin Mozafarian, 42, who owns a gold shop in Tehran.