Trump Decided to Kill Iran General Soleimani in Part to Appear Stronger Than Obama Was on Benghazi:
Trump Decided to Kill Iran General Soleimani in Part to Appear Stronger Than Obama Was on Benghazi: Report
President Donald Trump's decision to kill top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani was partly motivated by previous negative coverage over a called-off airstrike against Iran and a desire to be seen as a stronger president than Barack Obama, according to reported accounts by officials familiar with the planning discussions.
Trump also feared that the U.S. may be looking weak after failing to respond to a series of other attacks and provocations by Iran, such as the shooting down an unmanned U.S. drone which prompted the threat of an airstrike in June, and the alleged mine attacks of four oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman.
"The argument is, if you don't ever respond to them, they think they can get by with anything," an unnamed White House official speaking on the condition of anonymity, told The Washington Post.
Trump's advisers were worried that the president's constant assurance that he does not want to start a war with Iran meant that Tehran became confident that he would never launch an offensive move against the country, an American official who asked not to be identified told The New York Times.
Trump was also left frustrated that his reasons to make the 11th hour decision to call off a planned airstrike in Tehran in response to the shooting down of the drone were leaked to the press and also made him seem weak, officials told The Post.
The killing of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's Quds Force commander during an airstrike in the Iraqi capital Baghdad followed rising tensions between the U.S. and Iran, in part spurred by Trump's decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal in May 2018.
The deal was originally seen as a major diplomatic achievement by his predecessor, Barack Obama.
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-general-soleimani-obama-benghazi-iran-1480389?fbclid=IwAR1iHqraPPFzsJP02gQYzdjX-QjS1GGUQQFf6K0RS_0cyhm5JMQLTIwE6UM
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