Legal Assessment of the Possibility of Characterizing the Assassination of Major General Soleimani and Others as a Crime against Humanity

On 3 January 2020, USA government assassinated an Iranian high-ranking military official and some of his companions by a drone near the Baghdad Airport.  This act of USA was conducted by the direct order of its president. This article has dealt with this question whether assassination of Major General Soleimani and his colleagues can be legally characterized as a crime against humanity? To answer this question, the author has tried to analyze and examine the subject in the light of the relevant international law documents and case-law. According to the findings of this research, given the illegitimate and protracted US sanctions against the Iranian nation as a widespread or systematic attack against the civilian population (including the ill persons) in accordance or to further the US policy, the assassination of General Soleimani and other Iranian nationals as a part of this widespread and organized attack may be qualified as a crime against humanity. In accordance with the finding of this article, it is suggested that good cause evidence and documents be provided for proving that the US is committing course of conduct as a widespread or systematic attack against the Iranian population. It is necessary that more researches concentrate on this subject and specifically on US sanctions against Iranian people