President Donald Trump suddenly rocketed to the most radical of considered options in Iran even as troubled aides worried about the legitimacy of the action and the fallout, according to media reports. Pentagon officials were stunned, The New York Times reported, when Trump opted to target Iran’s top commander, Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, in a deadly airstrike in Baghdad early Friday. Trump did initially reject the action a week ago, the Times reported. On Saturday, Trump threatened retaliation for any Iranian retaliation, vowing to strike as many as 52 targets, including cultural sites. “There was no response to Iranian attacks against oil tankers, a U.S. drone and Saudi oil fields, but out of the blue comes this surprising hit on Soleimani.

Source: Huffington Post January 05, 2020 04:07 UTC