'He is responsible for the death of millions of people': Trump and Pompeo explained the murder of an Iranian general

President Donald Trump said Friday morning that Iranian General Kassem Suleimani, the commander of the Quds forces, an elite unit responsible for conducting armed and intelligence special operations as part of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, was planning on killing American citizens.

“General Kassem Suleimani killed or seriously wounded thousands of Americans over a long period of time and planned to kill much more ... but was caught!” Wrote the American president on Twitter.

According to Trump, Suleimani “was directly and indirectly responsible for the deaths of millions of people, including a large number of protesters recently killed in Iran itself. Although Iran would never recognize this properly, Suleimani was hated and feared domestically. They [the Iranians] are far less saddened than their leaders are trying to present to the rest of the world. It should have been removed many years ago! ”The president added.

On Friday morning, State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus reported on a telephone conversation between Secretary of State Pompeo and Heiko Maas, German Foreign Minister.

The report said that Pompeo discussed with Maas "President Trump’s recent decision to take defensive measures to eliminate Kassem Suleimani in response to an immediate threat to the lives of Americans."

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The Secretary of State thanked his German counterpart for the recent statement by Berlin expressing concern about the "ongoing military provocations by the Iranian regime" and stated that the United States "remained committed to de-escalation."

In addition, Pompeo called several other foreign ministers of major world powers this morning. The Secretary of State discussed the death of Suleymani with British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab and with Chinese Politburo member Yang Jiechi.

In an interview with Fox News and CNN, Pompeo refused to discuss the details of the alleged threat, however, according to him, the US decision to eliminate Kassem Suleimani was influenced by an “intelligence-based assessment”.

“He actively planned to hold shares in the region - large shares, as he spoke of them - that would endanger the lives of dozens, if not hundreds of Americans. We know that this was inevitable, ”said Pompeo in an interview with CNN.

“These were threats in the region. Last night, a moment came when we were forced to strike to do everything to ... prevent this imminent attack, ”said Pompeo.

Pompeo added that the United States has strengthened its military facilities in the region and is ready for any possible retaliatory attacks, including cyber attacks.

Reaction in the USA and the world

Former Donald Trump National Security Advisor John Bolton congratulated all those involved in the operation to eliminate Kassem Suleimani.

“Congratulations to everyone who participated in the elimination of Kassem Suleimani. This decisive blow against the malicious acts of the Iranian Quds forces around the world has been preparing for a long time. I hope this is the first step towards a regime change in Tehran, ”Bolton wrote on his Twitter.

Israeli Prime Minister supported the decision of the United States to organize an air raid on Friday, which killed the powerful Iranian military leader Kassem Suleimani. The Israeli army was put on high alert after Iran threatened to launch a “retaliatory strike” after the assassination of Suleimani.

The military leadership of Israel, the closest US ally in the Middle East and Iran’s main regional adversary in the region, held a meeting to assess the situation after the death of the Quds commander as a result of an attack on Baghdad's international airport.

“Like Israel, which has the right to defend itself, the United States has exactly the same right,” said a statement released by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.

“Kassem Suleimani is responsible for the death of American citizens and many other innocent people. He planned to conduct other attacks, ”Netanyahu said, speaking to reporters at an airport in Greece before heading to Israel. Netanyahu immediately interrupted his trip to Greece and returned to Jerusalem after reporting the murder of Suleimani.

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Israel’s Army Radio reported that the military has been put on high alert.