Qassem Soleimani’s portrait on the former US Embassy in Tehran. Click to see full-size image
On January 9th, US President Donald Trump said that General Qassem Soleimani allegedly planned to blow up the US Embassy in Baghdad, and that is specifically why he ordered the drone strike that killed him and other Iranian and Iraqi officials.
Trump has come under heavy opposition from Democrats, as well as the international community for refusing to disclose information on why exactly Soleimani was assassinated.
In remarks to reports in front of the White House, Trump said:
“We did it because they were looking to blow up our embassy. We also did it for other reasons that were very obvious. Somebody died, one of our military people died. People were badly wounded just a week before.”
Prior to this the Trump administration blamed Soleimani, the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp’s Quds Force, for killing American armed forces and the U.S. contractor that died in the shelling of a US air base in Iraq. He was also accused of attempting to organize unrest against the US in Iraq and Lebanon.
An unnamed senior U.S. Defense official said that when Trump was presented with options regarding Iranian threats, other proposals besides killing Soleimani would have involved the possibility of far more casualties.
These accusations and further attempts to demonize Qassem Soleimani, who is an Iranian national hero and one of the main figures in the fight against ISIS are part of the US’ campaign to attempt and justify its unprovoked actions.
These claims followed accusations by several US officials who claimed that on January 7th, Iran attempted to kill US forces with its missile strikes on two US military bases in Iraq.
“The ballistic missiles fired at American bases … we believe were intended to kill Americans,” Vice President Mike Pence said. “We have intelligence to support that was the intention of the Iranians.”
US Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, who told reporters at the Pentagon, “The points of impact were close enough to personnel and equipment and so on and so forth. I believe, based on what I saw and what I know, is that they were intended to cause structural damage, destroy vehicles and equipment and aircraft, and to kill personnel.”
Milley said that Iran, in targeting the al-Asad air base in the western Iraqi desert, “put 11 large rockets with 1,000-pound, 2,000-pound (more than 900-kilogram) warheads in it, but we took sufficient defensive measures.”
Defense Secretary Mark Esper said damage at the al-Asad base was confined to “tentage, taxiways, the parking lot, a damaged helicopter, things like that. Nothing that I would describe as major. No friendly casualties, whether they’re U.S., coalition, contractor.”
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters she holds Soleimani responsible for the deaths of American armed forces. Pelosi said she did not believe that in “terms of what is in the public domain” about the reason for the Trump-ordered drone attack on Soleimani. But according to her, the U.S. was made safer thanks to his death.
Iran discredited the claims by the US, saying that its missile attacks were precise and were not aimed at killing anybody, but rather as a warning and “first step.”
Iranian state media quoted Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the Revolutionary Guard’s Aerospace Force, as saying, “We did not intend to kill. We intended to hit the enemy’s military machinery.” He repeated the Iranian government’s claim that “tens of people were killed or wounded.”
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani added later in a tweet that Iran’s “final answer” to the killing of Soleimani “will be to kick all U.S. forces out of the region.”
All of this followed an address by US President Donald Trump in which he said he wished no war and claimed that he wished for the Iranian people to have a “great future.”
He said that the two countries could cooperate in areas of mutual interest. Such as fighting ISIS, which is specifically what Qassem Soleimani predominantly did.
The Islamic State group “is a natural enemy of Iran,” Trump said. “The destruction of ISIS is good for Iran, and we should work together on this and other shared priorities.”
The U.S. president told the Iranian people, “We want you to have a future, and a great future, one that you deserve. One of prosperity at home and harmony with the nations of the world. The United States is ready to embrace peace with all who seek it.”
MORE ON THE TOPIC:
- Qassem Soleimani: Martyr Of Iranian Revolution
- Top IRGC Commander Confirms Iranian Missile Strike Was Aimed At “Military Machine”, Not Troops
- Iran Plans No New Military Action If United States Does Not Respond: UN Envoy
- Trump Announces US Response To Iranian Missile Strikes: Empty Words And Sanctions
Trump’s word, as well as that of Mike Pence and unnamed officials is good enough for me. No need for any further enquiry. Doubtless there will be some doubting Thomases and other irksome scallywags who will question the wise words of our betters….
…..Do you mean idiot mullaphiles who gulp down anti American kool aid?
Not me, I have to hear it from Pompeo before I believe it.
Even if the U.S. public wants to believe these evil people, can’t they at least recognize the personality type? They remind me of every bully and narcissist I’ve ever met. At some point you have to say to yourself, no, I’m just not buying it. Ah but the power of wanting to believe something is just irresistible.
Amen to that ,Chris :)
Trump is talking from his “backside”. That’s the only hole he has that never lies.
Trump is kind of a secondary problem here – any focus on what he says or does is USELESS. He has his White House advisors and the US military and civilian intelligence agencies that are feeding him utter bullshit to get him to go to war with Iran. That means treasonous bullshit that threatens US national security and serves the interests of a foreign government or three (hint: Israel, Saudi Arabia and the UAE). This isn’t just my problem as an American. You European NATO cucks are going to be dragged into this and help pay for it too. And everyone in the Middle East is in mortal danger from the instability they keep trying to cause.
If anyone focuses on Trump (impeaching, removing, replacing, voting, whatever..) as the problem to be solved, then you’re even more autistic and psychopathic than Trump. Why would ANYONE think a Trump replacement wouldn’t be subject to the same treasonous bullshit campaign? Hell, Trump’s ego and desire to appear ‘in charge’ is probably the only thing that’s kept is from nuking Iran for Israel so far. Trump has clearly ceded some control back to those treasonous advisors and IC agents rallying around annihilation of an enemy of Israel, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Sorry, but Iran is no – ZERO – threat to the US. We have killed far more little-people Iranians than they have killed little-people Americans – ever. And guess what? After we attempt to kill all 82 million Iranians, we still have 120 million Shia that Israel, Saudi Arabia and the UAE want ‘removed as a threat’ = dead or imprisoned. And that’s only if the treasonous dickheads don’t talk Trump into attempting to ‘eliminate’ 144 million Russians that somehow (in neocon’s small-penis minds) pose an existential threat to Israel and interfere with the Saudi and GCC oil/gas revenues.
If you want to prevent the US from going full-retard, you – everybody – needs to call out the treasonous bitches that are feeding Trump bullshit 24×7. Trust me, it will work. Trump’s ego will take it from there and then their only option is to,,,
Here’s something that is puzzling me, if the USA can’t afford another war and especially one with Iran, why are they obsessed with a war with Russia?
Russia hasn’t struck back like Iran did, they just scare away some fighter jets every now and again and let their S-400s collect dust i guess
Ha ha ha ha ha. You are very young and when you get carried away by emotions you do not sound ….hmm how should I put it…you do not sound very objective…Not to use any other words. I don’t even want to go on that level to comment your words.
You really do not have clue about Russia at all. Russia is nuke world Super Power second to none. And they carry that immense power with adequate responsibility. When they start big war, everybody will die.
Then tell me, what do you know about them that I don’t?
I know that one doesn’t come to the street knife fight with the bomber.
Russia is whole new level my friend. But somehow that very simple fact just can’t enter your head! You picture Russia as Assad’s or even Iran’s private army a service station for their ambitions and current needs… While Russia is just playing the role of the Gate Keeper preventing Big Bad Wolf to enter the scene and slaughter everybody. That is the one and only role that Russia does and does that well. Till China gets big and strong enough to release Gate Keeper fro the duty and sits on the throne as one and only new Super Power.
You are missing picture completely because you are too much consumed with your knife street fight. Since Syria is just that comparing to Armageddon that Russia might represent.
So why does russia constantly let israel bomb targets in syria, negotiate ceasefires for torki rats, and allow US to stay and resupply isis?
So what would you do in their place?!? Start war with IsraHell and US ? Start WW3 to impose Assad?! As Syrian refugee posting from Europe I suppose you would. But you must permit the fact that Putin and 145 MILLION Russians does not agree with you ! Of course you would start the war because you obviously either don’t understand much about facts in that situation or you simply don’t care about the facts ! You want planet to burn to save Assad! Tough luck my friend…many important people does not agree with you. If Russia have had such power to squeeze out US from somewhere they would use it in Ukraine already! And Russia will not start WW3 over some small regional war ! Since that is road of no return for everybody ! Russia is nuke Super Power and conventional world power but Russia is NOT economic world power. So her military moves are always limited (depending on the situation where and against whom they act)
BUT if you convince China to send some of their jets…of their anything that might change the war situation…that would be GREAT ! So start writing!
How would stopping those countries, who have no right to be in syria or attack it, start world war 3? If anything its just emboldening them and telling them they can keep doing it with no punishment
Russia does not have sufficient forces there to even start local war against IsraHell (which they have no intention to do it anyways) let alone to attack US forces in Syria and start World War 3. Russia and China were ALWAYS FOR COMPROMISE and peace in Syria and not for “Assad must stay” it doesn’t matter what cost. Russian role in Syria is fighting TERRORISTS not other countries! If you can’t understand this simple explanation than you have much, much less then average intelligence. I can’t explain if you can’t understand the basics. Ask your teacher in nursery to explain it to you if you are 6 years old
And those TERRORISTD are being supported by other countries you dimwit
I know all that you pathetic little clown You are deprived even of the smallest intelligence which is sad state of affairs . But I refuse to suffer because of that! Do not talk to me any more because you are TOTAL WASTE OF TIME !
Mainly because the US,Israel and UK are infected nationally with Religious Hubris .
Its the same mindset of ISIS and such people are very dangerous , partly because they are so unpredictable and have little imagination of ‘tomorrow’ until the day arrives.
Mentally ill people are the most dangerous of all.
must not also forget that russia and israel have secret ties.
So ive heard, why tho?
historical…1) Russians defeated the Nazis 2) many moved to Soviet Union earlier in the 20th century (and you know when they move somewhere, they climb up).
OK Give us a list of all Jews on the high executive positions in RF… Putin as Big Boss of everybody is not Jew ,he doesn’t receive orders from the “Jews”or..? You’ll probably label him as “Jew servant” (with no proof at all of course)
hey cool down + stop making presumptions nobodys fighting with you now go talk to someone else
What”presumptions”? You keep accusing Russia, badmothing them like the Mr.”A. must stay”. So it is legitimate to show disapproval of usual Russia bashing by asking simple question: WHERE are those Jews in highest executive positions and how does they influence Putin since he is the one who decides foreign policy?
So put your facts where your accusations are. Since you have them so many it will be a joke for you!
but that was then, now israel and russia are fighting for two different things in syria
In my opinion Putin agreed part of Syria to be occupied by Israelis (Kurdish state) and they’d agreed Assad to stay in power… and that is for the time being.
What Russia can do with the Kurds? Kurds are still under US protection and it doesn’t matter if some nobody like you reject obvious facts. So claiming that “Putin agreed part of Syria to be occupied by Israelis” is plain IDIOTIC ! You have nothing to back that up! You are just another pissed Arab or Muslim who wants to take his frustration on Russians. Because Assad is not capable to even get rid of ISIS in the territory officially controlled by SAA let alone to kick Kurd’s arse and put them in right place under SAA command! So why not bashing Russia for the Assad impotence to clear his house?! Assad can’t discipline Kurds,can’t force them into anything,does not want to negotiate with them either,can’t send SAA against theme either… But when Russia tells Assad word “COMPROMISE” for making peace with TURD’S he is pissed just like you are!
you are as inept analysing the situation as a new born calf. try again or find another commentary field to defecate stupidities in.
Secrets like what? Russia has literally “ties” with EVERYBODY in Middle East and they are even proud of that fact. Should we call them all a “secret ties”? I don’t think so.
Like millions born in Soviet Union now residents in Israel/Palestine.
That sounds anti-Khazaric!
That’s them and true Russians were mostly pleased to see them go.
I remember when Israel was bombing Gaza in 2014 and a bunch of the 1990’s immigrant Russian Jews had set up couches on the hillside (Sderot?) to watch the ghoulish kill show for entertainment. The NYT picture looked something like this: https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2c38bdccc2ff46f140533eae1b5f586c6684cdad5553f9d15ef785f5bb2aba33.png
The first thing that came to my mind is that they look like typical inbred trailer trash meth heads found in the back woods of the US. My second thought was: “Russians (including the decent Jews that stayed) must have celebrated for three weeks when the last planeload of that Russian trailer trash was safely out of Russian airspace on their way to the promised land.”
I would think so as well.
Just as I rejoice when the annual invasion of Britain by Irish tinkers every Spring ends at the start of winter, and they return to Ireland for the winter.
During the 2014 IDF assault on Gaza, operation Cast Lead I think, I telephoned a friend there. He said that Israeli tanks were not far from his home.
forget it, no such ties between the two. on the contrary, russia is firmly in the alliance team which consists of turkey, iran, iraq and syria and hezbollah.
Turkey is always with the US even when it doesnt seem so. Israel has plans and Russia will not stop them. Russia saved Assad’s neck and his governance, but not the whole country. Kurds have communist ideology therefore linked and Russians will have somewhat good ties with them too (while US owns their asses). Complicated but then its the middle east!
Russia doesn’t seek war with no one, it doesn’t have such destructive and offensive foreign policy as the US have to wage, wars, make bases, fund proxies to do their dirty work. Russia in the other hand is build up on defense and defense only, of course it has big offensive capabilities but the policy is never to wage war, or do proxy shit, Russia have some 50bilion of military budget annually, to make new things, and upgrade some older equipment, US on the other hand, you can hear from Trump that the US in the last 3 years wasted 2.3 trillion dollars on its defense, too many bases around the world and many soldiers. Remember that only in South Korea are 29,000k of US troops. According to Department of State, for one Soldier/Marine to be out of US in foreign country annually cost 1 million per soldier, do the math. How many soldiers and bases and equipment the US have scattered around the world, damn no one knows exactly. So in high % on that the US spends a lot, and of course here is Israel with billions of dollars in military aid and never forget NATO (North American Terrorist Organisation) adding there. NATO exists for Russia and imaginary enemy called TERRORISM, and that’s why the US agenda is always fighting terrorism. The US foreign policy and NATO are surviving only because Russia, China and Terrorism.
It is Cold War syndrome. Their perception of main enemy was always Russia (till recently they started to discover China gradually). It is also that only military force which could stop US-NATO in their global dominance was at the beginning Russia (not China). So Russia was protecting both themselves and China as well….. But now China is starting to gradually take over that role from Russia on her way up to the place not only of economic super power but also military super power. U.S. don’t have other choice but to start the World War(to wipe out their debt) except they do not have guts to do that… So they hesitate while China keeps growing ever stronger… The window of opportunity is about to close to US completely since US are TOTAL loser against Russia and China combined conventional forces already.
Wait… we can’t attack China and destroy it. Where are we going to get all our plastic shit we buy at Wal*mart if China’s gone? Unlimited, cheap plastic shit – that’s our real full-retard red line.
That is not big problem..the big problem is : the only very big problem for you is where are you going to sell that F(lop)-35 junk if China stops buying scrap metal ? The same goes for “Patriot”, “LCS”-Little Crappy Ship, Ford class would be air-carrier(13 billion only )and similar junk like that you call in your self indulgence “sophisticated weapons”….
The fact is that China and Russia can eat you for breakfast together with your half broken air-carriers, lousy combat reediness record of whole your aviation (since you have no access to Chinese spare parts any more) Due to the fact that 70% of your drugs addicted, overweight population is not medically, mentally ready for mobilization and other 30% are not willing to go to any war anyways ….You hardly have any Army to oppose countries whose number of special forces is bigger than your whole standing army.
You better surrender immediately and ask politely to be left alone and that you are DEEPLY SORRY for all your CRIMES around the globe! And promise that you will never do that again and very politely…..
My psychopathic leaders apologize for our crimes against humanity? Promise never to do it again? FFS, Z.P., that’s never going to happen. Crimes against humanity are what America does. We have to in order to bring freedom and democracy to our victims. They should be thanking us.
You may as well just get China and Russia to nuke the shit out of us now, Z.P.. Send the Houthis in to clean up any rogue mutant irradiated survivors.
Honestly, nobody on earth is going to shame the US for it’s genocide and murder or make my government stop cheering it on. US politicians have no other skills (besides pedophilia). What would they do all day? Kentucky Fried Chicken wouldn’t even hire them. They would extort the other staff for protection money, randomly kill the customers and loot the cash register and fry bin. I suppose they could be hired to be crack heads – they seem to share a lot of those unique people skills.
Yet they rule your world…
We’re too medicated, overweight and depressed to care. Monkeys could show up and rule our world. We would send out a few angry Tweets and mount a half-hearted Never Chimp! campaign. At least until Monday, because Monday Night Football! Fuck YEAH! Who cares about our monkey overlords. Where’s the beer and Doritos?
US is a tool in the hands of Zionist Corporations…even US is expendable if need be. Capital is volatile. They may even pick China as next base, doesnt matter to them. It is just that they need to be sure of a strategy that will surely work for them, presently they are just profiting from smaller wars and “ww3 foreplay”.
I fully agree with you.Israel is the biggest instigator who really want human depopulation on earth. The biggest fasters way to do it is to corner strong nations like Iran,Russia and China.USA army Generals doesn’t care of USA population and this pleases Satanyahu that USA will do everything that he wants.
well said!
this is what you mean in fact :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xszvdy_Egjo&feature=youtu.be
Well, not entirely this, sakaramanga.
1) The way psychopaths exploit the piss out of little people is to rally them behind taking down a dangerous (imaginary or manufactured) enemy. For every woke soldier that understands the Afghanistan and Iraqi treasonous scam, their is also one just as convinced that it was the right thing to do and Afghanis and Iraqis should be grateful. We only ‘lost’ those wars because of Iran… somehow. Same brain-dead belief back in the cold war days of the threat of commies trying to rape and pillage in the US after they take over. I’ve learned:don’t try to get between a psycho and their manufactured dangerous enemy. They’re better at convincing people than I am. Protesting is nearly as useless for the same reason – being anti-war is just way too late in the kill-chain of stupidity.
2) While I appreciate this guy’s views, I’m painfully aware that most of planet earth doesn’t give a rat’s ass whether any Americans have a job or can afford healthcare and if that forces them to join the service. One million Iraqis killed by the US. Or three million southeast Asians. All of them had mothers. Think they’ll ever cry about whiny, sick, jobless Americans? FFS, we should kind of feel bad about our fifty-plus years of genocide and murder. We’re the evil f’kers, not them. I don’t know – maybe that’s just me.
3) While my leaders are quick to demonize someone who they feel personifies the enemy, the little people here seem ignorant of the oligarchs exploiting them. Protest against ‘the military-industrial complex’? What the fuck is THAT? FFS, give me the names and addresses of their board of directors, their C-level executives and their bankers. Tell me the routes they take to work. I’m dumb, I guess. I need the fat, ugly face of a real oligarch with a name to punch (repeatedly). Drive them into a life of paranoia and sneaking around like rats. Again, maybe that’s just me.
4) The guy is not angry enough at our supposed representatives. We need to pass a law mandating a giant 50-foot-high poster of “Mussolini and pals at the gas station” to hang in every government office. They just won’t ‘get it’, otherwise.
Which is why Trump said “we shoudnt have gone”! You are talking about the USA pre Trump!
What u dont know is that Trump and myself are on your side1 Have u figured that out yet? i have a feeling u havent!
Thanks for telling like it is absolutely true.
Sadly , all you say is as it is.
even this idiot knows that the murder of a decorated general of a legitimate state was wrong. he just doesn’t know that one can not talk himself (or his state) out of an openly admitted murder.
He’s incapable of knowing that and it wouldn’t matter anyway. Once a wrestling promoter, always a wrestling promoter.
trump what happened to attacking 52 sites in iran? Or was that someone else? Hahahaha
idiot trump spews lies galore, a habit I suppose from the time no one would notice it but now a days, every one can see the madness lurking under the surface – with trump in the white house the world is in a precarious situation and it doesn’t get better with the son in law, slime supremo, hanging on his shoulder telling him to bomb iran, egged on by netanyahu.
Trump just lies like his mother who runs away with his grandfathers wealth.She promises Trump father promising life but assisnated him and later end up with a Sera Leone black man as a tourist.
Wut? I’ll have to Google that, now.
They keep playing the same card … ‘we have intelligence that proves that Iran …’ As long as there is a willing press corps that enables them, why not. Sure, 1,000 lb bomb could kill people but Iran gave us 1hr which is a heck of a lot more time then we gave those 30 Iraqis and Suleimani.
The ‘he was planning to blow up our embassies’ even sounds like a lie. It sounds like the first thing that would pop into your head if you are obsessed w/the Iranian hostage situation from 1979 and what just happened last week. How would Suleimani blow up embassies and get away with it?
Hey mr.Trump let’s blame Soleimani for 9/11!!! He also killed JFK! and he killed 6.000.000 Jews!