By Ron Unz
The Unz Review
June 10, 2026
For many years, Gen. Qasem Soleimani had been one of Iran's most important and influential military commanders, a top figure in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). He had played a central role in organizing the defeat of the radical Sunni ISIS forces in Syria and Iraq, and was also the architect of his country's regional political strategy aimed at countering Israeli and American military power.