The moods in Iran were rather tranquil, to the extent that one can assess the situation as calm during mourning ceremonies. This is what Iranologist Vardan Voskanyan told reporters today, adding that the ritual of mourning ceremonies of Shiites implies wide participation, especially when it concerns a martyr or Shaheed.

“General Qassem Soleimani was the person whose death consolidated the whole Iranian society,” he said, adding that there are still no moods in Iran for talks with the US.

As far as the future of US-Iran relations is concerned, he stated that it is clear that the Iranians will take advantage of all of their opportunities to achieve their key objective, that is, to minimize the military presence of the US in the Middle East. “This will first and foremost concern Iraq. The Iranians view the territory of Iraq as the sphere of their vital interests, and in general, the entire Middle East is a sphere of vital interests of Iran,” he said and noted that the bombardment of US military facilities was a tribute to the general during mourning. “The Iranians have already taken some actions in the political field. The Iraqi parliament made a decision on the withdrawal of US troops. Kurdish deputies boycotted this, and I believe the bombardment of the Erbil sector was a response to that boycott. Judging from the moods of the Kurds, they are rather concerned about the growth of Iran’s influence.”