The gesture came after Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon angrily objected to the presence of General Soleimani’s photograph, asking why his picture had been placed there.
Danon then approached the Iranian delegation’s desk at around 4 pm New York time and asked an accompanying individual to film the scene before claiming that he wanted to give Iran a gift.
The Iranian delegation later left the chamber during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address, but deliberately left Soleimani’s portrait behind at Iran’s seat.
The message conveyed by the Iranian gesture was that the loss of a commander does not mean the abandonment of the principles, interests and positions for which he stood.
For Iran, General Soleimani’s portrait was more than a memorial; it was a symbol of steadfastness and resolve, underscoring that no pressure, confrontation or loss of commanders would deter Tehran from defending its national interests and standing firm against its adversaries.
The image also carried particular significance as Netanyahu addressed the General Assembly amid a mass departure of delegates from the chamber.
Spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry Esmaeil Baqaei opened his post on X with verses from the Shahnameh, the Persian national epic composed by the renowned poet Ferdowsi, who lived around the 10th and early 11th centuries and is one of the most influential figures in Persian literature.
The verses refer to Siavash, a legendary Iranian prince in the Shahnameh whose death becomes a symbol of the enduring consequences of the killing of a righteous hero.
Baqaei began the post with the lines: “Siavash was killed, but his blood did not fall silent in the Shahnameh: From Iran and Turan comes a roar/A world will boil from my blood”
He then connected the Shahnameh’s enduring memory of Siavash to General Soleimani, stressing that the killing of a hero does not erase his presence or the cause associated with him, but can instead preserve his memory as a lasting challenge to his adversaries.
He said the Iranian delegation left General Soleimani’s portrait behind after leaving the hall, describing the gesture as a reminder of the commander’s stature and of the enduring impact of his legacy.
“When the unwelcome presence of the butcher of Gaza and ill-wisher of Iran appeared at the United Nations podium, most attendees left the hall in disgust at his wickedness and ill intentions,” Baqaei said, adding, “The Iranian delegation also left this image behind before departing the hall, so that the imposing presence of our revered martyr General Soleimani would further trouble the twisted mind of the demon and make the spider’s web of its dreams appear more fragile than ever.”