Qassem Soleimani, the Iranian military commander killed in a U.S. drone strike on Jan. 3 in Baghdad, had sought to bring stability to the
Middle East, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday.
"Commander Soleimani was a man who was pursuing stability and calm in the region," Rouhani said in a speech broadcast live on state television.
Rouhani, citing the
missile strike
Iran carried out against a U.S. base in
Iraq in retaliation for Soleimani's death, said the Islamic Republic's
ballistic missile program was not intended for attacks on neighboring countries - which include arch regional adversary
Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab allies.