Iran's top leader says U.S. assassination of Soleimani "cowardice" act

TEHRAN, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday said that the U.S. assassination of Iran's Quds commander, Qassem Soleimani, was a "cowardice act" which hurt its superpower prestige.

The Americans could not face Soleimani in the battlefield and hit him "furtively," said Khamenei.

In revenge, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)'s missiles shower on the U.S. bases in Iraq was also a military "strike" on the U.S. as the superpower, he said.