The US airstrike that killed a senior Iranian commander near Baghdad will exacerbate tensions throughout the Middle East, the Russian foreign ministry has warned.

Qassem Soleimani, the commander of Iran’s Quds Force, was killed in a US operation at Baghdad International Airport on Friday morning. Moscow considers the operation “an adventurous move that will lead to an escalation of tension throughout the region,” the ministry said.

“Soleimani served devotedly the cause of defending the national interests of Iran. We express our sincere condolences to the Iranian people,” the short statement said.

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The Russian Defense Ministry slammed the US airstrike that targeted the Iranian general as “short-sighted,” warning that it would lead to a “rapid escalation” of tensions in the Middle East and would be detrimental to international security in general.

The ministry also praised Soleimani’s efforts in fighting international terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq by saying that his achievements in the fight against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) in Syria are “undeniable.”

The targeted assassination has sparked anger in Iran and Iraq. Officials in Tehran pledged to avenge the death of the high-profile member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) while Iran’s caretaker prime minister called it an act of aggression against his country that violates the terms under which American troops are hosted on Iraqi soil.

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Washington considers the IRGC a terrorist organization and claims Soleimani was plotting attacks on American citizens. The killing comes days after Iran-backed Iraqi militias staged a riot at the US embassy in Baghdad, a response to US retaliatory airstrikes at militia forces.

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