(Photo: The White House handout/Third party image/REUTERS)
United States President Donald Trump has revealed that the US killed Iran's top general Qassem Soleimani last week because the military commander and his team were plotting an attack on a US Embassy.
'We did it because they were planning to blow up our embassy," Trump disclosed to members of the press at the White House, Thursday. Trump also said Soleimani was actually targeting to bomb other US consulates.
The comments may provide more insight on what has been mostly vague intelligence reports so far that led Trump and his advisers to believe that eliminating Soleimani would justify any backlash the US may be subjected to.
Washington realized the effects of its actions from a drone strike it ordered to take down the Iranian general when the Islamic Republic launched 16 short-range ballistic missiles at bases in Iraq that housed American servicemen\
The missile attack, the US believes, was for Iran to show its people and the world that they are capable of a military response anytime and anywhere, although it was meant to inflict damage. No casualties were reported from the missile attack. As per military intelligence, the attack was "forewarned", thus no death was reported.
Trump said he also ordered a strike last December in response to a rocket attack by an Iranian-supported militia group against a US military base in Iraq that killed an American contractor, which the Pentagon believes Soleimani was among the brains behind it.
Thes strike was followed by protests outside the US embassy in Baghdad by supporters of the Iranian-backed militia. US intelligence reports disclosed that Soleimani wanted those protests to become more violent.
The plot by Soleimani and his group to bomb a US embassy was a "completely organized plot," Trump said, adding, "Who organized it, you know, the man is no longer around. All right?"
Asked about the President's statement on the plot to blow up the US consulate in Iraq's capital city, a top ranking Pentagon official, who requested anonymity, said Soleimani had orchestrated the protests at the US embassy and confirmed there had been such plots to bomb it.
Meanwhile, a bill was passed on Thursday by the US Congress to stop Trump from being involved in further military engagements against Iran.
The House of Representatives, with Democrats having a majority control, voted 224-194, mostly along party queues, sending the resolution of war powers to the US Senate.
The partisan verdict showed the huge differences in Congress with regards Trump's policy on Iran, and the magnitude of influence US congressmen should have when it comes to the decision of using military force.
Trump is being accused by Democrats of "acting recklessly" and supported the resolution, while Trump's Republican allies -- who almost never vote against the president -- were not in favor of it.
