The United States suspects the Iranian authorities of involvement in the preparation of the possible liquidation of the American ambassador to the Republic of South Africa (South Africa) Lana Marks, as a response to the assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. This statement was made on Sunday, September 13, by the Politico newspaper, citing sources.
The interlocutors of the newspaper said that they knew about the “general threat” to the ambassador in the spring, and in recent weeks the information has become more explicit. The ambassador, the source notes, is allegedly aware of the threat of an attack.
The newspaper is confident that the Iranian government is involved in the alleged murder conspiracy. At the same time, as the newspaper writes, the attack on the ambassador is only one of the possible options for revenge for the murder of Suleimani.
Intelligence is not yet very clear why Marx became the target, because if she does have ties with Iran, they are very small. Most likely, this choice was influenced by a long, about 20 years, personal acquaintance with US President Donald Trump.
According to sources, the Iranian government allegedly runs clandestine networks in South Africa.
The State Department, the CIA and National Intelligence declined to comment on the publication’s information. Iran’s UN ambassador, a diplomat at the South African embassy in Washington, and the US National Security Council also did not respond to requests for comment.
On July 21, Iran’s spiritual leader Ali Khamenei said that Tehran would never forget the assassination of General Qassem Suleimani by the Americans and would certainly strike back.
Aggravation in US-Iranian relations occurred at the end of 2019. On December 31, dozens of protesters attacked the US embassy in Baghdad. After that, on January 2, American aircraft struck at Baghdad airport, during which the famous Iranian General Soleimani was killed. He commanded the Al-Quds special unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), which organizes operations of the Iranian armed forces abroad. The special unit was recognized in the United States as a terrorist organization.
In response, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched a missile strike at two US military bases in Iraq. Nobody died.
The Pentagon said the attack was authorized by Trump “to protect US personnel overseas.” US Attorney General William Barr, in turn, called the murder of Soleimani legitimate, considering it self-defense.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov assessed the elimination of the Iranian general as the culmination of US illegal actions and considered it unacceptable.