Reporting by PMOI/MEK
Iran, June 19, 2020—Qassem Soleimani, the dead commander of the Iranian regime’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) Quds Force, personally oversaw the transport of “seven tons of banned cargo” to Syria back in 2013, according to the memoirs of a Mahan Air pilot.
Amir Assadolahi explains how he piloted a Mahan Air flight in which Soleimani himself supervised the transfer of the banned cargo, consisting of most likely arms and other military equipment to Syria, per the memoirs published in the state-run website The Council of Islam's Combatants (E-Heyat), an outlet linked to the IRGC.
In a clear sign that these flights were not out of the ordinary, Assadolahi boasts in the text that Soleimani knew him by his first and last name. These remarks shed further light into the scope of Iran’s support for the Assad regime in its onslaught against the Syrian people.
The US Treasury Department designated Mahan Air back in 2011 for its support to the IRGC and the clandestine transfer of arms and forces to Syria. The Iranian regime is known to recruit Afghans, Pakistanis, Iraqis and others, training them as proxy groups and cannon-fodders in its campaign of propping the regime in Syria and maintaining Assad in power at all costs.
At the time, Iranian regime officials went the distance to vehemently deny these charges and attacked the U.S. for the designation.
The pilot adds that Soleimani sat next to him in the cockpit throughout the entire flight that was also carrying almost “200 passengers”. Using a passenger airliner to carry military cargo is tantamount to using a human shield and is banned, according to international regulations.
While flying over Iraq, they were asked to land at Baghdad International Airport, Assadolahi continues, adding that due to his concerns regarding the presence of U.S. forces at the airport, he asked Soleimani to exchange clothes with the flight engineer and hide in the cockpit.
When U.S. and Iraqi forces enter the plane and “scan the faces of all the passengers,” according to Assadolahi, they do not find Soleimani.
Assadolahi goes on to boast about how he bribed Iraqi forces not to search the plane’s cargo, further indicating the illegal nature of the seven-ton cargo.
The pilot said that Soleimani praised him for his work, saying that “if I was President, I would give you a medal of honor.”
Qassem Soleimani, killed in a U.S. airstrike on January 3, had commanded the IRGC Quds Force since 1997. Being the main mastermind behind the Iranian regime’s warmongering tactics across the Middle East region and by many accounts, he is rightfully so described as being the regime’s second most powerful man. His death has been a devastating and strategic blow to the mullahs’ regime.
After being published, the memoirs of Assadolahi caused an uproar on social media and news outlets. Shortly later, the article was removed from the E-Heyat website.
Memoirs of Mahan Air pilot removed from E-heyat website
