One Year after the Assassination of General Ghasem Soleimani   On 3 January 2020, a drone strike in the vicinity of Baghdad International Airport assassinated General Qassem Soleimani, who was on an official visit upon the invitation of the then Prime Minister of Iraq, along with four other Iranians and five Iraqi nationals, including Mr. al-Mohandes, a top Iraqi commander. A few hours later, the US Department of Defence proclaimed that the US military had carried out the attack at the direction of the US president. The assassination shocked the world and instigated a widespread reaction. For instance, Mr. Adil Abdul-Mahdi, the then Prime Minister of Iraq, described the strike as “an act of aggression on Iraq and a breach of its sovereignty”. He also warned that it might “lead to war in Iraq, the region, and the world”. Similarly, the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov told his American counterpart on the phone that U.S. actions "grossly violate the principles of international law and deserve condemnation". The Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi called the US action “unacceptable”. The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the assassination would increase insecurity and instability in the region. Indeed, General Soleimani’s visit of 3rd January 2020 was part of his regular consultation meetings with high-ranking Iraqi officials. He, as the commander of the Quds Force unit of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, used to frequently visit Iraq and discuss with Iraqi officials on their fight against terrorism. It was well known to everybody that General Soleimani was relentlessly assisting Iraqi and Syrian armed forces to combat and repel the terrorist extremist groups, such as ISIS. In this regard, Dr. Javad Zarif, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, highlighted in a tweet, the role that General Soleimani had been playing in fighting extremism and terrorism in the region and beyond. He also pointed out the fact that General Soleimani was the true “most effective force” against “Daesh (ISIS), Al Nusrah, Al Qaeda, et al.” General Soleimani fought and defeated terrorist insurgents who are considered so dangerous that the European States, whose nationality they possess, are still absolutely declining to have them back and incarcerate them in their own territories. He, undeniably, saved the lives of many, including those of Americans and Europeans, by crushing terrorist extremists like ISIS. Without this, many ISIS fighters would be by now wandering in the European capitals. Targeting and assassinating General Soleimani was nothing but an extremely dangerous act of international terrorism which the US bears full responsibility for its consequences and might culminate into a foolish escalation. By doing this, the United States, not only ridiculed established principles of international law, but also brought the world, in general, and the region in particular to the very verge of an all-out war.  Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary execution, in her report of 6th July 2020 to the UN Human Rights Council, openly states that the strike was in violation of article 2(4) of the UN Charter which prohibits the threat or use of force and calls on all Members to respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of other States. In response to the US false justification that it carried out the attack as an act of self-defence, Ms. Callamard also explicitly points out that “no evidence has been provided that General Soleimani specifically was planning an imminent attack against US interests, particularly in Iraq, for which immediate action was necessary and would have been justified.” She also adds that it was the first time ever that a country has sought to use self-defence as a justification for killing a person in a third country. The assassination of General Soleimani and his companions on Iraqi soil was also a blatant violation of the sovereignty of Iraq. Ms. Callamard has noted this fact and mentions in her afore-mentioned report that “[b]y killing General Soleimani on Iraqi soil without first obtaining Iraq’s consent, the US violated the territorial integrity of Iraq.” General Soleimani was on an official visit to Iraq and as PM Abdul-Mahdi officially revealed before the Iraqi Parliament, General Soleimani was on a peace-promoting mission. They were due to be meeting to discuss moves for easing the confrontational tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran.  Accordingly, those who boast for supporting peace in the region or claim fight against extremism and terrorism, are actually the ones who brought the region to the edge of a devastating war and served extremists and terrorists more than any others, by targeting the staunch enemy of extremism and terrorism. Shouldn’t have Iran exercised self-restraint to this illegal and provoking act, the region was experiencing another deadly and destructive war whose consequences would have most probably exceeded way beyond the region. No matter what phony names they decide to use; extrajudicial killing, targeted kinging, etc., the assassination of General Soleimani is a flagrant violation of international law and a clear manifestation of state terrorism. The unfortunate indifference or dreadful silence on the part of certain states towards the US systematic and widespread violations of international rules, norms and principles has emboldened it to make this its common and regular practice. For instance, just a few days after the assassination, President Trump outrageously threatened Iran to target the cultural sites that were "important to Iran and the Iranian culture". This proves that, until the international community, especially those countries which have stronger ties with the United States or consider themselves as allies or partners, do not take a firm position against the US state terrorism and adventurism, the malign behaviour of the United States and its disregard for international laws and norms will continue unabated. No States or individuals with a clear conscience should stand on the side-lines to watch how the US is tearing apart international law. They all need to take a stand against the rising violations of the international law and practice of state terrorism by the US and its regional associates in crime.