The killing of Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Qds force in a USA strike has shaken analysts who all say it’s impossible to exaggerate the repercussions of this event. Soleimani was ‘more important than the president, spoke to all factions in Iran, had a direct line to the supreme leader and was in charge of Iran’s regional policy.” Haaretz says: “This is the most fateful action by the Trump administration in the Middle East in the past three years – the blatant assassination of effectively the second-most powerful man in his country and over the past two decades the most powerful in the region.”
“Soleimani played the key role in destabilizing Iraq after the American invasion. He transformed Hezbollah from a medium-sized militia into an army-sized force and the main power broker in Lebanon. And then came his greatest achievement, at the cost of hundreds of thousands of deaths: Without him Bashar Assad would not have remained president of Syria in his Damascus palace.”
General Petraeus, in a 2008 letter to the then-US defence secretary, described Soleimani as “a truly evil figure”.
The question is not why he was taken out so much as why now? There have been low level attacks by Iranian-backed militia on American forces and personnel in Iraq recently with some retaliation from the US. But this appears to be what the Telegraph described as “a massive walk up the escalation ladder.” Even Israel has ducked chances to take Soleimani out for fear of the consequences.
Trump wants out of the Middle East and stymied John Bolton’s hawkish efforts to topple the Iranian leadership. Did he think a one-off strike would bring him kudos and divert attention from domestic woes? If so, he woefully under-estimates the Iranians who will feel impelled to grandstand their anger and resistance. Despite talk of World War 111 and an all-out confrontation, their talent is asymmetrical warfare since they know they lack the US’s massive armed forces. The payback could happen anywhere and anytime but will certainly put US and Brit forces in Syria and Iraq at higher risk.
Soleimani, 11 March 1957 Iran, was a Sun Pisces (a sign often found in Islamic-fundamentalist charts) in a confident opposition to Jupiter in Virgo with Mercury Venus also in Pisces – all his Pisces planets being square a serious and knowledgeable Saturn in Sagittarius. Most significantly he had Mars in heavyweight Taurus conjunct the destructive Fixed star Algol in a ruthless square to Pluto.
The Iran 7 October 1906 chart has a Solar Arc Mars opposition Jupiter now which does suggest a ‘holy crusader’, aggressive and self-justifying response. There was similar when the US launched the Afghanistan War in 2001. In Iran’s case the Solar Arc Mars will move onto to oppose the Neptune in two years’ time which suggests failed plans; with a massive jolt in 2020 from Solar Arc Saturn opposition Uranus.
Trump’s Term chart also indicates a gung-ho, might-makes-right mood at the moment with tr Pluto square the Jupiter running till late January 2020 and repeating till the end of the year. It gives an overdose of confidence which can ultimately blowback. There’s also a distinct see-saw wobble from the Pluto moving to close to the square to Uranus to exact within the next two months.
Pompeo’s Secretary of State chart always indicated an explosive and crises-ridden with an exact Mars Pluto conjunction which has tr Saturn sitting exactly on it for these few days over the New Year. And his relationship chart with Trump looks extremely fraught with an aggravated Mars opposition Venus Saturn which is being elbowed at the moment by tr Uranus conjunct the Venus and moving on more disruptively in May/June. There were some rumours he was going to bale to pursue a Senate run, which doesn’t sound as if he is in-step with POTUS. Certainly Pompeo does not have Iran as a success zone on his astrocartography, quite the reverse with Mars on his IC.
Neither does Trump since it puts his Uranus Sun in the 7th opposition Moon in the 1st, with an indecisive Neptune in the 10th located to Teheran. The Ayatollah Khamenei’s Uranus is conjunct Trump’s Midheaven, giving him a capacity for destabilising Trump; and the Ayatollah’s Cancer Sun sits on Trump’s Saturn in Cancer, so he’ll dent Trump’s self-esteem.
Which makes the magnitude of the action even more bizarre. Perhaps in his deteriorating mental state, beset by impeachment fears, losing the North Korea negotiating triumph as Kim Jong Un goes awry again, he thought an out-do Obama moment by knocking off an even more significant figure than Bin Laden might feed his crumbling ego. Or maybe he didn’t think. Or maybe a nuke-em-all military type just got his finger on the trigger before anyone noticed. All will no doubt be revealed in time re-motives and decision-making.
Add On: The Iran Revolutionary Guard was founded on 5 May 1979 – which gives a maverick Taurus Sun opposition Uranus; with a ruthless Mars Mercury and Venus in Aries opposition Pluto. The tr Saturn Pluto is square the Mars now as if suffers its worst setback; and in 2021 there’s a road-blocked Solar Arc Saturn conjunct Pluto for a discouraging year. It will be undergoing upheavals and radical changes 2021 to early 2024 as tr Uranus is conjunct the Sun and then opposition Uranus – so the nature of the organisation will be significantly changed. And by the mid 2020s the Solar Arc Saturn will oppose the Mars for a ‘collision’ of a setback.
Thomas Friedman has a few interesting things to say about Soleimani in the NY Times pointing out how his manoeuvrings on the battlefield caused Iran harm at home: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/03/opinion/iran-general-soleimani.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage
The Iran Revolution chart of 1 February 1979 9am is set for the moment Ayatollah Khomeini’s feet touched Iranian soil after his time in exile as he returned to put the mullahs in charge. There’s a Sun, Mars, Mercury in stubbornly uncompromising Aquarius opposition Jupiter in Leo. The Sun is widely square Uranus, trine Pluto and inconjunct Saturn – a hint of revolution, heavy control and strain.
Tr Uranus will square the Jupiter from February 9th to early March, which will give rise to a surge of confidence (or good luck); with sharp words erupting mid April to early May with tr Uranus square the Mercury; though when it starts to show disruption, high-risk and insecurity will be from mid June onwards as tr Uranus squares the Mars – which can provoke ill-advised macho gestures to prop up self esteem and that repeats into early 2021. Then in 2021 the tr Saturn in Aquarius square tr Uranus will land on the Aquarius Sun for an uncomfortable year of economic damage and other mishaps, necessitating a change of direction. The tr Uranus square Uranus doesn’t come until 2023 but that will continue the mood of unrest.