His involvement in Capital’s relations with Iraq and the activities of the IRGC in Iran’s western neighbor allowed him to forge a relationship with Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, the IRGC’s overseas arm. Soleimani was killed in a U.S. air strike near Baghdad in 2020.Ahead of his appointment as foreign minister, conservative lawmaker Ali Alizadeh praised Amir-Abdollahian as the “Soleimani of diplomacy.”