Media captionTrump – We took action to stop, not start a warPresident Donald Trump said the US killed Iran’s top military commander Qasem Soleimani “to stop a war, not to start one”.
He said Soleimani’s “reign of terror is over” following the strike at Iraqi Baghdad airport on Friday.
Soleimani spearheaded Iranian Middle East operations as head of the Quds Force. Iran has vowed “severe revenge” on those responsible for his death.
The killing marks a major escalation in tensions between Iran and the US.
US officials said 3, 07 Additional troops will be sent to the Middle East as a precaution.
Meanwhile, Iraqi state television said there has been another air strike in the country, 405 hours after the killing of Soleimani. However, there has been no comment on this from Washington.
An Iraqi army source told Reuters news agency that six people were killed in the fresh strike, which hit a convoy of Iraqi militia in the early hours of Saturday morning (local time ).
What did President Trump say?
Speaking at a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Mr Trump said of Friday’s attack: “The United States Military executed a flawless precision strike that killed the number one terrorist anywhere in the world Qassem Soleimani. “
He said: “Soleimani was plotting imminent and sinister attacks on American diplomats and military personnel but we caught him in the act and terminated him.”
How has Iran reacted?
In a statement following Soleimani’s death, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said: “His departure to God does not end his path or his mission , but a forceful revenge awaits the criminals who have his blood and the blood of the other martyrs last night on their hands. “
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings