February 28, 2020
The Trump Administration has changed its rationale for assassinating Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleymani and is no longer saying he was planning attacks on Americans when he was killed.
The new explanation is that he was killed for past attacks against Americans that he organized.
On February 13, the Trump Administration sent a two-page justification, as required by law, to Congress describing its “legal and policy frameworks” for the use of military force.
Trump had earlier said Soleymani was plotting to kill more Americans when he was taken out January 3.
But the legal filing with Congress makes no such claims.
The operative paragraph said:
“The President directed this action in response to an escalating series of attacks in preceding months by Iran and Iran-backed militias on United States forces and interests in the Middle East region. The purposes of this action [the assassination] were to protect United States personnel, to deter Iran from conducting or supporting further attacks against United States forces and interests, to degrade Iran’s and Qods Force-backed militias’ ability to conduct attacks, and to end Iran’s strategic escalation of attacks on, and threats to United States interests.”