Soleimani to Brief Assembly of Experts on Regional Developments

Ayatollah Seyed Ahmad Khatami, a member of the Presiding Board of Iran’s Assembly of Experts, told Tasnim today that Major General Qassem Soleimani is invited to deliver a speech to members of the assembly on the most recent developments across the Islamic world, particularly in Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon.

Iran’s Assembly of Experts is to convene its 14th meeting on September 3-4 in the capital city of Tehran.

This year’s meeting comes at a critical juncture when a wave of crises has gripped many countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

Egypt, the most populous Arab country, is in the grip of a major crisis these days.

On Wednesday at least 638 people died when the security forces cleared two protest camps in Cairo, a move that drew international condemnation.

Also on Friday, more than 100 people were killed in clashes between supporters of deposed president Mohamed Mursi and the security forces.

Syria is another volatile country in the region that scuffles with a nearly 3-year-long crisis.

Syrian crisis started in March 2011. It turned into an armed conflict after the foreign-backed opposition supporters took up arms to fight the Syrian army and security forces. According to UN, more than 100,000 people, many of them from the army and security forces, have been killed in the violence so far.

The conflict has also displaced some 7.8 million people, many of whom have crossed the border into Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon to find a refuge.

And in Iraq the security situation has got worse, with almost daily explosions taking a heavy toll on the people.

The UN Mission in Iraq said 1,057 Iraqis were killed and 2,326 wounded in July, the highest toll since June 2008 when 975 people were killed.