Qasem Soleimani, Iran’s Celebrity Warlord

Atlantic council

BY SINA AZODI

Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Quds (Jerusalem) Force of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, is among the most popular public figures in Iran, where supporters see him as a selfless national hero who has been fighting Iran’s enemies.

For his critics, however, Soleimani is a notorious terrorist, who has the blood of American soldiers and many Syrians, Iraqis and Lebanese on his hands.

The purpose of this report is not to judge his actions, but to shed light on some of the reasons that could explain his unusual popularity among Iranians.

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