Zangeneh said in a message although martyrdom was the reward of a lifetime of sincere diligence of Major General Haj Qasem Soleimani in God's cause and for the dignity of the dear Iran, the loss of this great dedicated man is definitely a loss to the Islamic Republic.

The Iranian Minister of Petroleum stressed that Major Soleimani was a descendant of the martyrs of the sacred defense and was rightly among the believers who honored their allegiance to God of the martyrs.

“He is the eternal martyr of the Iranian nation, who joined his martyred companions with a great name,” further said Mr. Zangeneh.

“I extend my heartfelt condolences to the great nation of Iran, the supreme leader, his noble family, and the family of all the martyrs, and I pray God will take his revenge from his vicious and terrorist assassins.”

On Thursday night, the Commander of Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Lieutenant-General Qasem Soleimani and the second-in-command of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis were killed by US airstrikes in Baghdad, Iraq's capital.

US authorities told Reuters that fighters targeted Baghdad international airport on Friday in order to assassinate General Soleimani and al-Muhandis.