US says threat of ‘imminent attack’ triggered air strikes against Iran
US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has claimed that the assassination of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani was carried out to prevent an “imminent attack” that would have endangered US citizens in the region.
Speaking to CNN and Fox News, Pompeo said that the attack was based on an “intelligence based assessment”, but refused to say more about details of the threat.
Read more: World leaders call for restraint as Iran promises revenge for killing
Soleimani, widely considered the second in command to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and the architect of the Islamic Republic’s regional policy, was killed in an air strike at Baghdad airport in the early hours of Friday morning.
The overnight attack, authorised by President Donald Trump, was a dramatic escalation in a “shadow war” in the Middle East between Iran and the United States and its allies, principally Israel and Saudi Arabia.
In a series of tweets, Trump wrote: “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 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!”, he finished.
Dozens of US citizens have been leaving Iraq today after the US embassy warned that they should depart immediately amid threats of retaliation from the Iranian government.
The strike has met with a stunned reaction from around the world, with world leaders calling for calm amid simmering tensions.
The Russian defence ministry released a statement condemning the strike as “short-sighted” and potentially entailing “serious consequences for the whole system of international security.”
Read more: European stocks falter after US kills top Iranian general in Baghdad
The statement also praised Soleimani for his role in the fight against the Islamic State group in Syria.
Oil prices jumped more than $3 a barrel over concern about disruption to Middle East supplies.