Assassinating Iran’s Soleimani sets a dangerous new precedent which will lead to decades of suffering

Send your letters to letters@independent.co.uk

Yet again, American leaders have chosen to illegally serve as the judge, jury and executioner for the entire world as they have effectively declared war on Iran by assassinating one of its top generals. We have no business being where we aren’t welcome in the first place. Especially at a time when America can’t afford to fight another illegal war in the decimated and weakened Middle East, where there is little national interest beyond guaranteeing the unfettered supply of cheap oil.

By remotely assassinating a high-ranking foreign government official without a trial, we have set a dangerous new precedent from which we will surely suffer in the decades to come. If I were a western leader, I wouldn’t travel to the Middle East, as Iran has appropriated the same drone technology that was used to murder General Soleimani.

Dr Michael Pravica
Henderson, Nevada

What will it take?

It is disappointing that neither Dominic Raab nor Boris Johnson have the cajones to condemn Donald Trump for ordering the assassination of Qassem Soleimani. Such an act was both crass and stupid. What type of misdemeanour will it take for Donald Trump to bring our special relationship with America into real jeopardy?

Christopher Learmont-Hughes
Caldy, Wirral

More bombs won’t help

Can anyone explain how uniting pro and anti-government factions in Iran in an anti-American and anti-western alliance makes us all safer? Further illegal bombings of 52 sites certainly won’t help. Lucky then we can rely on the excellent diplomatic skills of our own leader to keep us all safe.

Geoff Forward
Stirling

Right to retaliate

How dare Iran retaliate and feel aggrieved! The United States only seeks peace and justice and sometimes it can only attain those ends through bombing, murder and its own brand of terrorism. How dare Iran challenge US, global, military hegemony and take measures to defend itself against outside aggression?

In fact, the US loves freedom and democracy so fervently it is prepared to bomb a country into oblivion and support dictatorships across the world to achieve those noble ends.

How dare Iran break the nuclear deal which the US tore up months ago and how dare the country support a sovereign state (Syria) which is under attack from western-funded proxy armies? But how dare Iran have its own proxy armies in countries bordering Iran and deem to control its own resources, and use the revenue from the sale of Iranian oil to benefit its own people?

How dare Iran take an independent path and not subordinate the country’s resources to servicing the US economy and enriching the shareholders of large, US multinational corporations? And how dare anyone call this state of affairs fascism?

Louis Shawcross
Hillsborough, Northern Ireland

The truth is out there

The first British astronaut to go into space, Dr Helen Sharman, says aliens could be on the planet at the moment. The question is why?

If they want the planet, they could just wait till we destroy ourselves and then take any resources – although what resources are so valuable that they would warrant such a long journey?

They wouldn’t be here for conversation as it appears from reading a number of papers that there aren’t too many intelligent people on the planet, especially in the leadership roles.

The sad reality is that even if there is life out there, it’s not likely that it is going to visit secretly for a coffee and biscuits.

Let’s look at solving our own problems and then see who’s out there to visit.

Dennis Fitzgerald
Melbourne, Australia

Not so great Scot

I am at a loss to know why some newspapers have felt that the views of actor Brian Cox on Scottish separatism are of interest to us. Mr Cox lives in New York City and does not experience life in SNP Scotland. Of even greater importance is that, should Scotland vote for Scexit, he would not have to endure the austerity max that would undoubtedly accompany it. His desire to inflict that on those of us who do live in Scotland is unwelcome.

Jill Stephenson
Edinburgh

Shared blame

Tom Watson, questioned as to who he favours as Labour’s next leader, is quoted as saying: “She [Rebecca Long-Bailey] sort of stands for Corbynism in its purest sense and that’s perfectly legitimate but we have lost two elections with that play.”

When Tom says “we have lost two elections with that play”, he and his chums deserve much more credit for the part they played in both the defeats he now modestly shares with the party in general.

Eddie Dougall
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk