One day after ordering the targeting of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani President Donald Trump vowed that the U.S. would hunt down anti-American terrorists no matter where they are.
On Friday, the president said he ordered the killing of Soleimani “to stop a war,” based on intelligence that the late Al Quds leader was planning a major attack in the region.
Trump also warned Iran that he has additional high-profile targets identified and would not hesitate to target them in order to defend Americans.
“We took action last night to stop a war,” Trump said in brief televised remarks at his Florida resort. “We did not take action to start a war. We do not seek regime change.”
In reference to Soleimani as “the Number One terrorist anywhere in the world,” the president said he had organized recent attacks in Iraq that resulted in injury to four U.S. service members, the death of an American military contractor, and a siege of the U.S. embassy in Baghdad.
He also said Soleimani “was plotting imminent and sinister attacks on American diplomats and military personnel.”
“But we caught him in the act, and terminated him,” said the president.
“Under my leadership, America’s policy is unambiguous to terrorists who harm or intend to harm any American: We will find you, we will eliminate you, we will always protect our diplomats, service-members, all Americans, and our allies.”
The president said that Iran’s aggression in the Middle East “must end, and it must end now.”
“The United States has the best military, by far, anywhere in the world,” the president added. “We have the best intelligence of the world.
“If Americans anywhere are threatened, we have all of those targets already fully identified, and I am ready and prepared to take whatever action is necessary. And that, in particular, refers to Iran,” he said.