Soleimani’s daughter warns of ‘dark day’ for US

The daughter of slain Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani on Monday reportedly warned the United States of the “dark day” she said his death would bring.

Zeinab Soleimani reportedly made the comment during a televised address she delivered at funeral services for her father in Tehran, according to NBC News.

“The families of the American soldiers,” she said, according to NPR, “will spend their days waiting for the death of their children.”

“Crazy Trump, don’t think that everything is over with my father’s martyrdom,” she added.

Last week, Trump authorized a U.S. drone strike targeting Qassem Soleimani. At the time, Trump called the decision an effort to “stop a war” as U.S. officials have said there was evidence that the top general was plotting attacks against Americans.

The attack was widely regarded as an escalation of heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran, and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has vowed “harsh retaliation” for the U.S.

Shortly after the strike, a senior Iranian commander also said that “vital American targets” had been identified by Iran, including “some 35 U.S. targets in the region as well as Tel Aviv,” that he said were within reach.

In response to the threats of retaliation from Iranian officials, Trump has touted the military strength of the U.S. and said over the weekend that the country was prepared to hit 52 Iranian sites “very fast and very hard” if Iran retaliated for Soleimani’s death.

“Iran has been nothing but problems for many years,” Trump warned over Twitter. “Let this serve as a WARNING that if Iran strikes any Americans, or American assets, we have targeted 52 Iranian sites… some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture, and those targets, and Iran itself, WILL BE HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD. The USA wants no more threats!” 

His comments drew more backlash from Iranian officials and some in the U.S., including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who tweeted on Sunday that targeting areas of cultural significance amounted to “a war crime.”

Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, expressed similar sentiments on Twitter on Sunday, also warning the president that targeting cultural sites would be a war crime. 

“Having committed grave breaches of int’l law in Friday’s cowardly assassinations, [Trump] threatens to commit again new breaches of JUS COGENS,” he wrote.

“Those masquerading as diplomats and those who shamelessly sat to identify Iranian cultural & civilian targets should not even bother to open a law dictionary. Jus cogens refers to peremptory norms of international law, i.e. international red lines,” he continued. “That is, a big(ly) ‘no no.’ “