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Trump Says He Ordered Killing of Iranian to Prevent New Attack on Americans U.S. and Iran Exchange More Threats as Democrats Question Timing of Strike
(32 minutes later)
WASHINGTON — President Trump said on Friday that he ordered the operation that killed Iran’s top security and intelligence commander not just to retaliate for past attacks on Americans, but also to forestall an active effort “to kill many more” Americans, as the region braced for a possible escalation in violence. WASHINGTON — The United States and Iran exchanged escalating military threats on Friday as President Trump warned that he was “prepared to take whatever action is necessary” if Iran threatened Americans and Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, vowed to exact vengeance for the killing on Mr. Trump’s order of Iran’s most valued general.
In his first comments on the drone strike against Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, who led the powerful Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Mr. Trump suggested that the Iranian commander “got caught” preparing to hit American targets. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said a planned attack on Americans had been “imminent” before the drone strike. Although Mr. Trump insisted that he took the action to avoid a war with Iran, the continuing threats further rattled foreign capitals, global markets and Capitol Hill, where Democrats demanded more information about the strike and Mr. Trump’s grounds for taking such a provocative and risky move without consulting Congress. Democrats also pressed questions about the attack’s timing and whether it was meant to deflect attention from the president’s expected impeachment trial this month in the Senate.
“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!” Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter, using a different spelling of the commander’s name. “He was directly and indirectly responsible for the death of millions of people, including the recent large number of PROTESTERS killed in Iran itself.” Speaking to reporters in a hastily arranged appearance at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida resort, Mr. Trump asserted that Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, who directed Iranian paramilitary forces throughout the Middle East, “was plotting imminent and sinister attacks on American diplomats and military personnel, but we caught him in the act and terminated him.”
Trump administration officials have provided no specific details of what they said were imminent threats, and some Defense Department officials said they knew of only generalized threats that did not appear to be imminent. Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo echoed Mr. Trump’s remarks, as did Robert C. O’Brien, the national security adviser. But General Milley, Mr. Pompeo, Mr. O’Brien and other senior administration officials did not describe any new specific threats that were different from what American officials say General Suleimani had been orchestrating for years.
As oil prices surged and stock markets slid, the State Department urged Americans to leave Iraq, where the attack on General Suleimani was carried out and where Iranian elements play a powerful role. The American Embassy in Baghdad, which had been under siege by pro-Iranian protesters chanting “Death to America” in recent days, suspended consular operations. “U.S. citizens should not approach the Embassy,” the State Department warned on Twitter. In Baghdad, the State Department urged American citizens to leave Iraq immediately, citing “heightened tensions.” The American Embassy, which had been under siege by pro-Iranian protesters chanting “Death to America” in recent days, suspended consular operations. “U.S. citizens should not approach the Embassy,” the State Department warned on Twitter.
An American official said diplomats in Baghdad were nervous about the embassy being the target of retaliation, but noted that Iran had many options and an embassy attack by pro-Iran militias was only one of them. The Baghdad Embassy is among the most fortified American outposts in the world and there are other less-guarded targets that Iran could choose. At Fort Bragg, N.C., some 3,500 members of the 82nd Airborne, ordered to the Middle East this week, prepared to deploy to Kuwait.
On Wall Street, the stock market fell as oil prices jumped after the news of the general’s death: The price of Brent oil, the international benchmark, surged in the early hours of Hong Kong trading to nearly $70 a barrel — an increase of $3.
The immediate increase in the price of oil was among the largest since an attack on a critical Saudi oil installation in September that temporarily knocked out 5 percent of the world’s supply.
Mr. Trump said that the killing early Friday of General Suleimani, the commander of Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, was long overdue. He insisted he did not want a larger fight with Iran.
“We took action last night to stop a war,” the president said. “We did not take action to start a war.” But he also warned Iran that the American military had “already fully identified” potential targets for further attacks “if Americans anywhere are threatened.”
Hours earlier, Mr. Khamenei issued his own warning to Mr. Trump about General Suleimani’s death from a missile fired by an American MQ-9 Reaper drone at the general’s convoy at Baghdad International Airport.
“His departure to God does not end his path or his mission,” Mr. Khamenei said in a statement, “but a forceful revenge awaits the criminals who have his blood and the blood of the other martyrs last night on their hands.”
Mr. Pompeo, an Iran hawk, said a planned attack on Americans had been “imminent” before the Reaper strike.
Writing on Twitter earlier in the day, Mr. Trump suggested that General Suleimani “got caught” preparing to hit American targets.
“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!” Mr. Trump tweeted, using a different spelling of the commander’s name. “He was directly and indirectly responsible for the death of millions of people, including the recent large number of PROTESTERS killed in Iran itself.”
An American official said diplomats in Baghdad were nervous about the embassy being the target of retaliation, but noted that Iran had many options and an embassy attack by pro-Iran militias was only one of them. The embassy is among the most fortified American outposts in the world, and there are other less-guarded targets that Iran could choose.
The White House approved the strike on General Suleimani after a rocket attack last Friday on an Iraqi military base outside Kirkuk killed an American civilian contractor and injured other American and Iraqi personnel, according to an American official who insisted on anonymity to discuss internal decision making. The Joint Special Operations Command spent the next several days looking for an opportunity.The White House approved the strike on General Suleimani after a rocket attack last Friday on an Iraqi military base outside Kirkuk killed an American civilian contractor and injured other American and Iraqi personnel, according to an American official who insisted on anonymity to discuss internal decision making. The Joint Special Operations Command spent the next several days looking for an opportunity.
The option that was eventually approved depended on General Suleimani’s arrival on Thursday at Baghdad International Airport. If he was met by Iraqi officials, the American official said, the strike would be called off. But the official said it turned out to be a “clean party” and the strike was approved. The option that was eventually approved depended on General Suleimani’s arrival on Thursday at Baghdad International Airport. If he was met by Iraqi officials, the American official said, the strike would be called off. But the official said it turned out to be a “clean party,” and the strike was approved.
The strike touched off an immediate debate in Washington, with Republicans hailing the action as a decisive blow against a longtime enemy with American blood on his hands and Democrats expressing concern that the president was risking a new war in the Middle East. It touched off an immediate debate in Washington, with Republicans hailing the action as a decisive blow against a longtime enemy with American blood on his hands and Democrats expressing concern that the president was risking a new war in the Middle East.
With Congress returning to town after the holidays for a presumed Senate impeachment trial, Mr. Trump risked suspicion that he was taking action overseas to distract from his political troubles at home, à la the political movie “Wag the Dog.”With Congress returning to town after the holidays for a presumed Senate impeachment trial, Mr. Trump risked suspicion that he was taking action overseas to distract from his political troubles at home, à la the political movie “Wag the Dog.”
As a private citizen, Mr. Trump repeatedly accused President Barack Obama of preparing to go to war with Iran to bolster his re-election chances in 2012. As a private citizen, Mr. Trump repeatedly accused President Barack Obama of preparing to go to war with Iran to bolster his re-election chances in 2012. As president, Mr. Trump has questioned his own intelligence agencies and peddled repeated falsehoods, a record that could undermine the administration’s credibility on the highly delicate subject.
Democratic leaders complained that Mr. Trump acted without consulting or even informing Congress first. Mr. Trump responded by retweeting a post comparing Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, to the Iranians. Democratic leaders complained that Mr. Trump acted without consulting or even telling Congress first. The president responded by retweeting a post comparing Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, to the Iranians.
The post by Dinesh D’Souza, a conservative commentator who was pardoned by Mr. Trump for a campaign finance violation, scoffed at Mr. Schumer’s complaint that he was not told in advance. “Neither were the Iranians, and for pretty much the same reason,” Mr. D’Souza wrote in the tweet reposted by Mr. Trump. John R. Bolton, the hawkish former national security adviser who left his job in September after clashes with Mr. Trump on Iran and other issues, offered “congratulations” on the killing of General Suleimani and said it was a “decisive blow” against the Quds Force. Posting on Twitter, he added he hoped that this was the “first step to regime change in Tehran” — a policy position that Mr. Trump has in the past rejected. The post by Dinesh D’Souza, a conservative commentator who was pardoned by Mr. Trump for a campaign finance violation, scoffed at Mr. Schumer’s complaint that he was not told in advance. “Neither were the Iranians, and for pretty much the same reason,” Mr. D’Souza wrote in the tweet reposted by Mr. Trump.
John R. Bolton, the hawkish former national security adviser who left his job in September after clashes with Mr. Trump on Iran and other issues, offered “congratulations” on the killing of General Suleimani and said it was a “decisive blow” against the Quds Force. Posting on Twitter, he added he hoped that this was the “first step to regime change in Tehran” — a policy position that Mr. Trump has in the past rejected.
Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, said that a classified briefing was being arranged for all senators next week and that everyone should welcome the demise of General Suleimani. “For too long, this evil man operated without constraint and countless innocents have suffered for it,” Mr. McConnell said on the floor. “Now his terrorist leadership has been ended.”Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, said that a classified briefing was being arranged for all senators next week and that everyone should welcome the demise of General Suleimani. “For too long, this evil man operated without constraint and countless innocents have suffered for it,” Mr. McConnell said on the floor. “Now his terrorist leadership has been ended.”
Democrats said Mr. Trump was playing a dangerous game that could further involve the United States in Middle East conflict rather than pull out as he has promised. “President Trump came into office saying he wanted to end America’s wars in the Middle East, but today we are closer to war with Iran than ever before and the Administration’s reckless policy over the last 3 years has brought us to the brink,” Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland wrote on Twitter.Democrats said Mr. Trump was playing a dangerous game that could further involve the United States in Middle East conflict rather than pull out as he has promised. “President Trump came into office saying he wanted to end America’s wars in the Middle East, but today we are closer to war with Iran than ever before and the Administration’s reckless policy over the last 3 years has brought us to the brink,” Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland wrote on Twitter.
General Suleimani, the driving force behind Iranian-sponsored attacks and operations over two decades around the region including Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Lebanon, was considered perhaps the second-most powerful figure in Iran and the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, vowed to exact a “forceful revenge.” General Suleimani, the driving force behind Iranian-sponsored attacks and operations over two decades around the region including Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Lebanon, was considered perhaps the second-most powerful figure in Iran, and Ayatollah Khamenei vowed to exact a “forceful revenge.”
In an unusual move, the ayatollah attended an emergency meeting of the Supreme National Security Council. “America must know the criminal attack on General Suleimani was its worst strategic mistake in the Middle East and that America will not escape the consequences easily,” the council said afterward. “As our Supreme Leader said in his message, a harsh revenge awaits the criminals who have the general’s blood on their hands. These criminals will face revenge at the right time and place.”In an unusual move, the ayatollah attended an emergency meeting of the Supreme National Security Council. “America must know the criminal attack on General Suleimani was its worst strategic mistake in the Middle East and that America will not escape the consequences easily,” the council said afterward. “As our Supreme Leader said in his message, a harsh revenge awaits the criminals who have the general’s blood on their hands. These criminals will face revenge at the right time and place.”
Mr. Pompeo said in a TV appearance that the United States had intelligence that General Suleimani was preparing a specific, new operation to target Americans in the Middle East, but declined to elaborate.Mr. Pompeo said in a TV appearance that the United States had intelligence that General Suleimani was preparing a specific, new operation to target Americans in the Middle East, but declined to elaborate.
“He was actively plotting in the region to take actions, a big action as he described it, that would have put dozens if not hundreds of American lives at risk,” Mr. Pompeo said on CNN. “It was imminent.”“He was actively plotting in the region to take actions, a big action as he described it, that would have put dozens if not hundreds of American lives at risk,” Mr. Pompeo said on CNN. “It was imminent.”
He dismissed concerns raised by American allies, who expressed fear of a wider war in the Middle East. A French minister suggested that “we are waking up in a more dangerous world” following the strike.He dismissed concerns raised by American allies, who expressed fear of a wider war in the Middle East. A French minister suggested that “we are waking up in a more dangerous world” following the strike.
“Yeah, well, the French are just wrong about that,” Mr. Pompeo said. “The world is a much safer place today. And I can assure you Americans in the region are much safer today after the demise of Qassim Suleimani.”“Yeah, well, the French are just wrong about that,” Mr. Pompeo said. “The world is a much safer place today. And I can assure you Americans in the region are much safer today after the demise of Qassim Suleimani.”
Mr. Pompeo spoke on Friday to top officials in France, Britain, Germany, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and told his foreign counterparts that the United States was committed to protecting American interests abroad, according to State Department statements. In recent days, he also spoke with leaders of Israel and the United Arab Emirates, which like Saudi Arabia consider Iran an enemy.Mr. Pompeo spoke on Friday to top officials in France, Britain, Germany, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and told his foreign counterparts that the United States was committed to protecting American interests abroad, according to State Department statements. In recent days, he also spoke with leaders of Israel and the United Arab Emirates, which like Saudi Arabia consider Iran an enemy.
A top Chinese Communist Party official, Yang Jiechi, told Mr. Pompeo in their telephone call that China, Iran’s most powerful partner, was “highly concerned” about the situation in the Middle East and that “differences should be resolved through dialogue,” Zhao Lijian, a Foreign Ministry official, wrote on Twitter. He added that Mr. Yang stressed that all parties, “especially U.S., should exercise restraint.”A top Chinese Communist Party official, Yang Jiechi, told Mr. Pompeo in their telephone call that China, Iran’s most powerful partner, was “highly concerned” about the situation in the Middle East and that “differences should be resolved through dialogue,” Zhao Lijian, a Foreign Ministry official, wrote on Twitter. He added that Mr. Yang stressed that all parties, “especially U.S., should exercise restraint.”
Presidents Emmanuel Macron of France and Vladimir V. Putin of Russia spoke by telephone and agreed to try to “prevent a new and dangerous escalation of tensions,” according to a summary issued by Mr. Macron’s office. The French president also stressed the fight against the Islamic State should be a priority, as well as efforts to get Iran to return to compliance on the 2015 nuclear agreement, from which Mr. Trump withdrew but that Russia, China and three European nations still support.Presidents Emmanuel Macron of France and Vladimir V. Putin of Russia spoke by telephone and agreed to try to “prevent a new and dangerous escalation of tensions,” according to a summary issued by Mr. Macron’s office. The French president also stressed the fight against the Islamic State should be a priority, as well as efforts to get Iran to return to compliance on the 2015 nuclear agreement, from which Mr. Trump withdrew but that Russia, China and three European nations still support.
The decision to hit General Suleimani complicates relations with Iraq’s government, which has tried to balance itself between the United States and Iran.The decision to hit General Suleimani complicates relations with Iraq’s government, which has tried to balance itself between the United States and Iran.
A senior Iraqi official said Friday that there was a good chance the Iraqi Parliament, which is being convened by the prime minister for an emergency session, would vote to force American troops to leave Iraq. Top Iraqi leaders earlier had wanted to accommodate the troop presence because of the persistent threat from the Islamic State and other regional security matters.A senior Iraqi official said Friday that there was a good chance the Iraqi Parliament, which is being convened by the prime minister for an emergency session, would vote to force American troops to leave Iraq. Top Iraqi leaders earlier had wanted to accommodate the troop presence because of the persistent threat from the Islamic State and other regional security matters.
The Iraqi official noted angry statements condemning the strike on General Suleimani from Iraqi politicians and religious leaders who, until now, have been tolerant of the Americans. He added that he expected Iran to take retaliatory action soon, and that moderates in Tehran would not be able to hold off the hard-liners. Iraq would be caught in the middle, he said. Michael Crowley, Peter Baker and Edward Wong reported from Washington, and Maggie Haberman from Palm Beach, Fla. Thomas Gibbons-Neff and Lara Jakes contributed reporting from Washington, and Farnaz Fassihi from New York.
Grand Ayatollah Kazim al-Haeri, one of Iraq’s top Shia clerics who is based in Iran, declared the presence of American troops in Iraq “haram,” meaning forbidden under Islamic law, and said measures must be taken to immediately expel the United States military from Iraq’s soil.
Mr. Trump said Iraq should not welcome Iranian influence. “The United States has paid Iraq Billions of Dollars a year, for many years,” he wrote on Twitter. “That is on top of all else we have done for them. The people of Iraq don’t want to be dominated & controlled by Iran, but ultimately, that is their choice.”
Dalia Dassa Kaye, an Iran expert at the RAND Corporation, a research organization, said the killing of General Suleimani was a “major escalation beyond proxy conflict to a direct conflict with Iran that is likely to be viewed in existential terms on Iran’s side,” especially in the wider context of Mr. Trump’s continuing sanctions campaign to isolate Iran.
She added that likely costs included a rupture with the Iraqi government, which would weaken the fight against the Islamic State; a further alienation of American allies who have been seeking de-escalation this year between Western nations and Iran; and growing challenges to containing Iran’s nuclear ambitions. “Just because the U.S. can take punitive actions doesn’t mean it should,” she said.
A Swiss diplomat in Tehran delivered a message on the killing of General Suleimani on behalf of the United States to the Iranian government on Friday, said an official with knowledge of the action. The Swiss have long acted as interlocutors between Washington and Tehran, which broke off diplomatic relations in 1979 after the Islamic Revolution and siege of the United States Embassy in Tehran.
The official did not give details of the message. The Swiss aided in a prisoner exchange last month in which Iran freed an American graduate student confined for three and a half years, Xiyue Wang, for the release of an Iranian scientist held in Atlanta for violating American sanctions against Tehran.
Mr. Trump ordered the strike from his holiday retreat at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla. He was scheduled to travel to Miami on Friday afternoon to address a group of evangelical supporters of his re-election campaign.
In his tweets on the strike, Mr. Trump argued that Iranians would actually welcome General Suleimani’s death.
“While Iran will never be able to properly admit it, Soleimani was both hated and feared within the country,” he wrote. “They are not nearly as saddened as the leaders will let the outside world believe. He should have been taken out many years ago!”
President George W. Bush and Mr. Obama both opted against targeting General Suleimani for fear that it would lead to a spiraling conflict.
“What always kept both Democratic and Republican presidents from targeting Soleimani himself was the simple question: Was the strike worth the likely retaliation, and the potential to pull us into protracted conflict?” said Representative Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat from Michigan and former C.I.A. analyst who served in Iraq and worked at the White House under both of Mr. Trump’s immediate predecessors.
“The two administrations I worked for both determined that the ultimate ends didn’t justify the means,” she said. “The Trump administration has made a different calculation.”
Thomas Gibbons-Neff and Lara Jakes contributed reporting from Washington, and Farnaz Fassihi from New York.