Some of the most striking images from the celebration of the 45th anniversary of the Islamic revolution were pervasive posters of Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the elite Qods Force unit who was killed in a U.S. drone strike on Jan. 3, 2020. Iranians young and old carried photos of the slain general in demonstrations across the country. In Tehran, the parade included missiles named for Soleimani that were unveiled in August 2020. The Shahid Haj Qassem missile has a range of 870 miles and can carry a warhead weighing more than 1,000 pounds (Shahid is the word for martyr, and haj refers to his pilgrimage to Mecca, Islam’s holiest site). Soleimani orchestrated all of Iran's covert and military operations in the region and beyond. He is widely considered one of the most important leaders since the 1979 revolution. The following is a selection of pictures from across Iran that reflect his impact on recent Iranian history.
