WASHINGTON: the USA President Trump claimed the imminent threat from Iran that provoked the United States to kill Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani involved planned attacks on four U.S. embassies.
In a wide-ranging interview to the USA news channel Fox News, he said when a sked specifically what was targeted, Trump revealed: “We will tell you that probably it was going to be the embassy in Baghdad.”
Pressed on whether large-scale attacks were planned for other embassies, the president said: “I can reveal that I believe it probably would’ve been four embassies.”
“Baghdad certainly would’ve been the lead,” Trump said. “But I think it would’ve been four embassies that had been military bases — could’ve been a lot of other things too, but it was imminent.”
The American embassy in Baghdad had already been attacked on New Year’s Eve when demonstrators stormed the compound to protest American airstrikes against Iran-backed militia members.
But there has been confusion over whether additional attacks were being planned at the embassy after Trump told reporters Thursday that the U.S. killed Soleimani because “they were looking to blow up our embassy.”
The administration has repeatedly said that that strike was an act of self-defense to prevent what it has described as an “imminent threat” against U.S. interests and troops.
