Hawzah News Agency (Pennsylvania, US) - The US special representative for Iran said the successor to General Soleimani, the Iranian commander assassinated in a US drone strike, would suffer the same fate if he followed a similar path of killing Americans.

"If (Esmail) Ghaani follows the same path of killing Americans then he will meet the same fate," Brian Hook told the Arabic-language Asharq al-Awsat newspaper, adding that US President Donald Trump had long made it clear "that any attack on Americans or American interests would be met with a decisive response."

"This isn't a new threat. The president has always said that he will always respond decisively to protect American interests," Hook said in the interview in Davos.

In an apparent act of state terrorism, US administration ordered the assassination of Quds Force commander General Soleimani on Jan. 3. The Leader of the Islamic Revolution then vowed to take harsh revenge and also appointed Brigadier General Esmail Ghaani, who was Soleimani's deputy, as the new commander of the force. Ayatollah Khamenei highlighted that Ghaani's mission in the force will be identical to that pursued by Martyr Soleimani.

In a ceremony held to introduce Ghaani as the IRGC Quds Force commander on Monday, he vowed to hit the enemy in a 'manly' fashion. "They (US) hit him (Soleimani) in a cowardly way, but with God's grace and through endeavors of freedom-seekers around the world who want vengeance over his blood, we will hit his enemy in a manly fashion," he said.