Donald Trump Makes Baffling Statement Taunting Iran On Twitter After U.S. Airstrike
While the president hasn’t issued an official statement in the wake of the killing of Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani, Donald Trump wrote a tweet taunting the country in what analysts fear could serve to increase tensions in an already volatile situation.
According to the Daily Beast, Trump tweeted a small image of an American flag the night of the attack on a two-car convoy near Baghdad’s International Airport, killing one of Iran’s top military leaders. He also retweeted travel warnings sent out by the State Department warning citizens in the region to leave or avoid traveling to the area.
But it was his third statement sent Friday morning that raised eyebrows and questions about the president’s strategy in the Middle East.
“Iran never won a war, but never lost a negotiation!” he wrote.
Comments on the president’s message revealed that many people were confused and concerned about the way he was handling the extremely sensitive situation. Washington Post journalist Josh Rogin called the message vague and unhelpful, while others said that it was a “veiled swipe” at former President Barack Obama.
He followed the cryptic message with a tweet defending the decision to kill Soleimani.
“General Qassem Soleimani has killed or badly wounded thousands of Americans over an extended period of time, and was plotting to kill many more…but got caught! He was directly and indirectly responsible for the death of millions of people, including the recent large number of PROTESTERS killed in Iran itself,” he wrote. “While Iran will never be able to properly admit it, Soleimani was both hated and feared within the country. They are not nearly as saddened as the leaders will let the outside world believe. He should have been taken out many years ago!”
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the strike was aimed to stop a planned attack on American citizens in the region, which was reportedly being led by Soleimani.
Iran has vowed to seek “severe revenge” against the U.S. in the wake of the strike, as The Inquisitr previously reported.
The people of #iraq are in the streets celebrating the death of qasem soleimani. This mass murderer responsible for the death of thousands in #iraq and #Syria and all over the world he is responsible for the death of hundreds of American soldiers.pic.twitter.com/QMQrvBz10y
— ???? ??????? ?????? (@Mr_Alshammeri) January 3, 2020
The country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a statement saying that the general’s work would continue, while Iran’s defense minister Amir Hatami echoed the statement, saying that the airstrike would be met with a “crushing” response.
Many experts worry that the attack will result in an increase in oil prices for Americans and, more worrying, possible retribution against U.S. citizens in the Middle East.
