Nancy Pelosi criticizes the US airstrike that killed a top Iranian commander, saying it could provoke a 'dangerous escalation of violence'
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized the US airstrike on Iran, which killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani on Thursday, saying it could provoke "further dangerous escalation of violence" in a statement.
- The killing of the high-level commander Soleimani was first reported by Iranian state TV and later confirmed in a statement by the Pentagon.
- Pelosi's statement said "we cannot put the lives of American service members, diplomats and others further at risk by engaging in provocative and disproportionate actions."
- Pelosi also said the strike was also undertaken "without an Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) against Iran" and "without the consultation of the Congress."
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized Thursday night's US airstrike on Iran, which killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, saying it could provoke "further dangerous escalation of violence" in a statement released Friday morning.
The killing of the high-level commander Soleimani, first reported by Iranian state TV and later confirmed in a statement by the Pentagon, is the US' most significant escalation of tensions against Iran yet and is likely to further inflame conflict in the region.
As the leader of the elite and secretive Iran Revolutionary Guard Qods force, Soleimani abetted widespread terrorism throughout the region, and the Pentagon has deemed him responsible for the deaths of hundreds of US service members.
The strike on Soleimani came after a rocket strike on US coalition forces in Iraq, which killed a US contractor on December 27, and attacks on the US Embassy in Baghdad, for which the Pentagon blamed Tehran and the Qods force.
Pelosi's statement emphasized "we cannot put the lives of American service members, diplomats and others further at risk by engaging in provocative and disproportionate actions," adding that the world "cannot afford to have tensions escalate to the point of no return."
She also said the strike was also undertaken "without an Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) against Iran" and "without the consultation of the Congress."
Multiple outlets also reported that Pelosi received "no advance notification" of the strike and only spoke to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper after the fact.
While Pelosi and the rest of the "Gang of Eight" congressional leaders who receive high-level intelligence and military briefings were not consulted on the strike, at least one Trump-allied Senator, Sen. Lindsey Graham, told Fox News that he was briefed beforehand by Trump.
Read more:
Pentagon says it killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani on Trump's order