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OpinionRelated Story: Poll: Many in US Support Trump Decision to Kill Iran General
In real life, Suleimani is now dead, killed not by the Saudis but in a US strike on 3 January outside Baghdad airport, having just returned from Lebanon and Syria on one of his many missions as the architect of Iran’s regional power base.Related Story: Anatomy of a Lie: How Iran Covered up the Downing of an Airliner
Saudis on Twitter were gleeful and official Saudi media were jubilant, declaring in al-Riyadh newspaper that a new decade had started for the region as Iran’s dark shadow receded. If Saudi officials celebrated, they did so quietly, relieved Suleimani was dead, and even more relieved they didn’t have to do it themselves, but wary of Iranian retaliation. There were calls for quick de-escalation, and within three days the crown prince’s brother and deputy minister of defense, Khalid bin Salman, travelled to Washington DC for meetings at the White House.By Kim Ghattas | 29 Jan 2020