Pompeo on Soleimani Strike: ‘I Think the Iranian Leadership Understands President Trump Will Take Action’

A different kind of reset button.

Posted by Mary Chastain Friday, January 3, 2020 at 09:10am 8 Comments

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJ9T4FaP2Kc

More Sharing Options

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox & Friends that President Donald Trump’s order to strike and kill Iranian terrorist Qassem Soleimani proves that he will do everything he can to protect Americans.

From Fox News:

Pompeo stressed that the Trump administration has shown military “restraint” in the face of dozens of attacks directed by Iran and its proxies against American interests, culminating in the death of an American contractor in Iraq last week.

“I think the Iranian leadership understands President Trump will take action. … We made very clear that these responses would be swift and decisive. We have now demonstrated that. I hope the Iranian leadership will see that and see American resolve and that their decision will be to de-escalate and take actions consistent with what normal nations do. In the event that they do not and they go in the other direction, I know that President Trump and the entire United States government is prepared to respond appropriately,” said Pompeo.

—

Pompeo said the strike was carried out to prevent an “imminent attack” by forces directed by Soleimani.

“He’s got hundreds of American lives and blood on his hands. What was sitting before us was his travels throughout the region, his efforts to make a significant strike against Americans. There would have been many Muslims killed as well, Iraqis and people in other countries. It was a strike that was aimed at disrupting that plot, disrupting further aggression and we hope, setting the conditions for de-escalation as well,” he said.

Pompeo also took a shot at President Barack Obama’s administration’s love affair with the Iranian regime:

“We didn’t send pallets of cash to the Iranians. We didn’t pay for hostages. We didn’t create a deal which would have given them a clear pathway to a nuclear weapon. We have taken a very different approach. We believe it’s the one that will ultimately lead to success and stability in the Middle East,” he said.