Switzerland receives a message from Washington to Tehran after the killing of Soleimani

A Swiss diplomat delivered a message from the United States to Iran on Friday after the Revolutionary Guards commander Qassem Soleimani was killed in a US operation in Baghdad, according to the Swiss Foreign Ministry.

“The charge d’affaires was informed of Iran’s position, and in return he delivered a message from the United States,” the Swiss foreign ministry statement said.

Switzerland represents US interests in Iran, which is a diplomatic channel through which Tehran and Washington communicate when needed.

Soleimani was killed Thursday evening near Baghdad International Airport with the deputy head of the Popular Mobilization Authority, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, and the eminence official, Redha al-Jabri, and others.

US President Donald Trump said Soleimani was responsible for the deaths of millions of people, including Iranian protesters.

Trump added that Soleimani should have been killed many years ago.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the United States was “committed to reducing the escalation” after the killing of Soleimani, stressing that the commander of the Quds Force was planning a “major action” that threatened American citizens.

Pompeo tweeted that he had spoken to his British counterpart Dominic Rap and German Haikou Maas, and Chinese political bureau member Yang Jiechi about Soleimani’s death.

The Quds Force is responsible for driving the pro-Iranian arms abroad, especially Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.

Soleimani has killed hundreds of members of the US and coalition forces and has orchestrated attacks on coalition forces bases in Iraq over the past few months, according to a statement by the US Department of Defense.

Washington classified Soleimani and the engineer as terrorists.