- President Donald Trump put out his first substantive statement Friday morning on his decision to order an airstrike that killed Qassem Soleimani, Iran's most powerful military leader.
- "General Qassem Soleimani has killed or badly wounded thousands of Americans over an extended period of time, and was plotting to kill many more...but got caught!" Trump tweeted.
- He added: "While Iran will never be able to properly admit it, Soleimani was both hated and feared within the country. They are not nearly as saddened as the leaders will let the outside world believe. He should have been taken out many years ago!"
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President Donald Trump put out his first substantive statement Friday morning on his decision to order an airstrike that killed Iran's most powerful military leader, Qassem Soleimani.
"General Qassem Soleimani has killed or badly wounded thousands of Americans over an extended period of time, and was plotting to kill many more...but got caught!" Trump tweeted. "He was directly and indirectly responsible for the death of millions of people, including the recent large number ... of PROTESTERS killed in Iran itself."
The president added: "While Iran will never be able to properly admit it, Soleimani was both hated and feared within the country. They are not nearly as saddened as the leaders will let the outside world believe. He should have been taken out many years ago!"
Soleimani was the commander of Iran's elite Quds military force and a revered leader in the regime.
Shortly after Trump's tweets, former national security adviser John Bolton put out his own statement on Twitter congratulating "all involved" in "eliminating" Soleimani.
"Long in the making, this was a decisive blow against Iran's malign Quds Force activities worldwide," Bolton, a hardcore Iran hawk, added. "Hope this is the first step to regime change in Tehran."
Iraqi state television first reported news of the airstrike, though it was initially unclear who carried out the strike.
The Pentagon later confirmed that the US military, acting on the orders of the president, was responsible for the airstrike.
"The US military has taken decisive defensive action to protect US personnel abroad by killing Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force," the Pentagon said in a statement. "This strike was aimed at deterring future Iranian attack plans. The United States will continue to take all necessary action to protect our people and our interests wherever they are around the world."
The statement also blamed Iran for attacks on coalition bases in Iraq in recent months and for orchestrating the attacks on the US Embassy in Baghdad.
Soleimani's killing drew vastly differing responses from US lawmakers.
While all of them acknowledged that Soleimani was a dangerous force that threatened stability in the Middle East, Democratic lawmakers criticized the president for ordering the airstrike without congressional approval, as mandated by US law.
They also warned of the consequences of Trump escalating tensions with Iran and bringing the US closer to the brink of a potentially devastating war in the region.
"Tonight's airstrike risks provoking further dangerous escalation of violence," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement Thursday night. "America - and the world - cannot afford to have tensions escalate to the point of no return."
Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico also weighed in, saying Trump's order brought the US "to the brink of an illegal war with Iran."
"Passing our bipartisan amendment to prevent unconstitutional war with Iran is urgent. Congress needs to step in immediately," he added.
Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut sounded the alarm as well.
"Soleimani was an enemy of the United States. That's not a question," he tweeted. "The question is this - as reports suggest, did America just assassinate, without any congressional authorization, the second most powerful person in Iran, knowingly setting off a potential massive regional war?"
Republicans, meanwhile, praised the president for what they described as taking decisive action to protect American interests abroad.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted that Iraqis were "dancing in the street for freedom; thankful that General Soleimani is no more."
Rudy Giuliani, Trump's longtime personal lawyer, also congratulated Trump while criticizing former President Barack Obama.
"Soleimani was a mass murderer. He killed many Americans and his own people," Giuliani tweeted. "This is not Benghazi. Obama did nothing about it.@realDonaldTrump acted immediately to protect Americans. Democrats are also Americans and should support our President."
General Qassem Soleimani has killed or badly wounded thousands of Americans over an extended period of time, and was plotting to kill many more...but got caught! He was directly and indirectly responsible for the death of millions of people, including the recent large number....
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2020....of PROTESTERS killed in Iran itself. While Iran will never be able to properly admit it, Soleimani was both hated and feared within the country. They are not nearly as saddened as the leaders will let the outside world believe. He should have been taken out many years ago!
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2020Iraqis - Iraqis - dancing in the street for freedom; thankful that General Soleimani is no more. pic.twitter.com/huFcae3ap4
- Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) January 3, 2020