Top Trump administration officials on Sunday morning struggled to defend an airstrike that killed a senior Iranian general this month, acknowledging they could not confirm President Trump’s Friday assertion that Iranians planned to attack four embassies.

On CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said he “didn’t see” evidence of an Iranian plan to attack four U.S. embassies. But, he said, he “share[s] the president’s view that probably — my expectation was they were going to go after our embassies. The embassies are the most prominent display of American presence in a country.”

On Friday, Trump said Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, killed by a U.S. drone strike, had been planning attacks on four U.S. embassies, a claim made to justify the decision.

That assertion was at odds with intelligence assessments from senior administration officials. On Friday, a senior administration official and a senior defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss classified information, told The Washington Post they were only aware of vague intelligence about a plot against the embassy in Baghdad and the information did not suggest a fully formed plan.

Neither official said there were threats against multiple embassies.On CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday, Esper defended the strike on Soleimani, saying it “disrupted attacks” and “reset terms with Iran.”

White House national security adviser Robert C. O’Brien also defended the strike, saying on ABC’s “This Week” the Iranian regime is “having a very bad week” and the United States would continue a “maximum pressure campaign” against the regime.

He also said the president has shown “incredible restraint” in the face of regular provocation from Iran and has also been “modest in his dealings” with other countries.
But O’Brien did not confirm Trump’s claim that the White House had received intelligence that Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, was planning “imminent” attacks against four U.S. embassies.

“What the president said is consistent with what we’ve been saying. We had very strong intelligence that they were looking to kill and maim Americans in American facilities in the region,” O’Brien said on “Fox News Sunday.”

Even with the United States’s “exquisite intelligence,” it is difficult “to know exactly what the targets are,” O’Brien said. He added it was fair to anticipate a future Iranian attack “would have hit embassies in at least four countries.”

Pressed on why the White House has not revealed more details on the alleged threat they say precipitated the strike, O’Brien said, “I would love to release the intelligence,” but “those same streams and channels” are important to protecting Americans.

Top Democrats have pushed back on Esper’s claim that the Gang of Eight congressional leaders was given information on the threat to attack the embassy in Baghdad. Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.), a member of the Gang of Eight, contradicted Esper’s assertion on “Face the Nation” about the briefing to Congress, saying it lacked “specificity” about a potential embassy threat. Schiff said he and several members of the Gang of Eight were dissatisfied with the evidence laid out as a basis for the strike.

Trump and Esper are “fudging” the details, Schiff added, and “overstating and exaggerating what the intelligence shows.” When it comes to information that could lead to a potential war in Iran, he said, “that’s a dangerous thing to do.”

Trump’s claim about threats against embassies was also not part of a Senate briefing earlier this week, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“That was news to me,” he said. “It certainly wasn’t something I recall being raised in the classified briefing.”Lee also savaged the Trump administration for failing to sufficiently justify the strike. He earlier called the briefing the “worst” he’s received in nine years in the Senate.

Sen. Christopher A. Coons (D-Del.), also speaking on “Fox News Sunday,” criticized the administration for failing to disclose more specific intelligence during the closed-door briefing.“We got less detailed information there than President Trump shared with Laura Ingraham,” the senator said.

Killing Soleimani did eliminate “one of our worst enemies in the Middle East. … But the larger question is, did it make us safer?” Coons said.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said administration officials were “dismissive of Congress,” throughout the briefing on NBC’s “Meet the Press."

He also criticized the administration for relying on a George W. Bush-era authorization for military force to justify the attack.

“We need to have a full-throated debate in Congress,” he said. “I want to have that debate and bring our kids home.”
Sen. Michael F. Bennet (D-Colo.) said on “Meet the Press” that Trump’s actions “strengthened the hard-line wing of the Iranian government."

“This is a moment when heightened congressional scrutiny of the president is important no matter who the president is,” said Bennett, who’s also a long-shot contender for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.

Source:https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/01/12/defense-secretary-esper-said-he-didnt-see-evidence-an-iranian-plot-attack-four-embassies/

Really

You didn't see doesn't mean it doesn't exist,

Minjim:
Really

You didn't see doesn't mean it doesn't exist,

It's like you work with the CIA

Maybe or may be not he was planning another attack, but he did plan an attack before that claim lifes. Trump took precaution to save lifes. Nonsense and terrorist.

no be USA again ?? nazo Dem talk say Saddam have nuclear weapons just to destroy the country(Iraq)


Libya ppl don know how far....(lyf style USA can't provide for their citizen gadaffi dey give Dem....free house,monthly allowance,subsidize utilities )

Malcolm123:
no be USA again ?? nazo Dem talk say Saddam have nuclear weapons just to destroy the country(Iraq)


Libya ppl don know how far....(lyf style USA can't provide for their citizen gadaffi dey give Dem....free house,monthly allowance,subsidize utilities )

Best presido ever, Libyans go cry cos dem no get future.

Key Notes from Nasrallah speech marking one week after Soleimani assassination

1.) When Israeli war against Lebanon began in year 2006, martyr Qasim Soleimani came to us and remained with us in operations room till end of war.

2.) America is the number one threat and Israel is merely a US tool and military outpost planted in our region.

3.) Sayyed Nasrallah to Trump: You big hypocrite, you are asking Iran for cooperation to fight ISIS? You don’t want to fight ISIS, you killed the main two leaders who were fighting it!

4.) Sayyed Nasrallah to Massoud Barzani: You should show gratitude for Haj Qasim, when the whole world refused to help you, Hajj Qasim came to help you along with his companions (among whom were members of Hezbollah) while you where shivering from fear

5.) Trump put the Iraqis before two choices, either he leaves and takes their wealth, or stays and takes their oil.

6.) As I said (days ago), the Americans came (to the region) vertically, but they must know that they will leave it horizontally (if they do not withdraw).

Source: https://thesaker.is/key-notes-from-nasrallah-speech-marking-one-week-after-soleimani-assassination/

Meeeehn! These 6 points really touched me to my marrow.

I trust Hassan Nasrallah & his boys, that number 6 shall surely come to pass.

If the Amerikan bastards refuse to withdraw because of that CRUDE OIL WEY DEM TAKE CURSE THEM & THEIR PAPA, they shall surely leave in body bags - horizontally.



Modified:

After going through the comment section, I came across this comment posted by DANJUMA MUSA. I'm guessing he's one of our Sunni brothers up North in Nigeria.

DANJUMA MUSA: So much has been said about Soleimani. My question is, why is no one talking about his great efforts and contribution in helping the US murder tens of thousands of Afghans? Why does Iran not support a truly Sunni nation? They want to be seen as the leaders of the Muslims against our oppressors. Yet they facilitate the murder of other Muslims (Taliban and Saddam’s forces) By the US. Iran deserves everything the US is doing to them and I feel no pity towards Iran for all the hardship it is going through.

And don’t tell me they couldn’t help Saddam because he gassed thousands of their people. Saddam did wrong, but Iran is also greatly to blame. Saddam invaded Iran because Iran was trying to instigate a revolution in Iraq to overthrow Saddam. Throughout history, Shiites tend to be less patient with any government that is not their own, and they are very prone to violent revolution. Since the Islamic revolution, they have tried to precipitate similar revolutions in a number of countries to overthrow Sunni Muslim rulers regardless of the chaos, suffering and death that may befall the local Sunni population. The Sunni rulers like those in the G.C.C are evil, but so is Iran. Only that Iran is a more sophisticated player and its contribution to the slaying of thousands of Sunni Muslims is less obvious than that of its clueless Arab rivals.

Soleimani’s actions against the Taliban started long before the US invasion. He had been supporting Shiite militias in Afghanistan to fight the Taliban. It was during one of those battles that the Taliban captured and killed several Iranians who claim to be diplomats, though Taliban accused them of smuggling weapons to the opposition. Iran amassed hundreds of thousands of troops along the border with Afghanistan for an invasion. They decided to change their mind when they realized things might not work out as planned.

Many people say Iran has never invaded any nation for over 200 years. I dispute this claim. Iran does invade countries through Shiites. The fact that the have fought a hot and cold war with Saddam and Taliban (their neighbors) says a lot about a country which is only moderately strong compared to others.

I have posted before on this forum that what Iran wants is the Hejaz (the area west of Saudi Arabia which contains Mecca and Medina). The saker community’s moderators refused to post that comment, and I am hopping they will let this one through and also inform me why my previous comment never showed up.

By taking over the Hejaz, they will control the two holiest sites of Islam. This will allow them to spread Shiism and take over leadership of the Muslim world. But America stands in the way. Should America leave the Middle East today, it won’t be long before Iran instigates a revolt or warn (probably through Yemen) that will spread death and destruction in Saudi Arabia. Sunni Muslims will bear the brunt of that war, but Iran will be quick to cross over and secure the Hejaz.

For those who question my viewpoint, I have a question for you. If Iran’s true goal in the region is only to kick the Americans out, why did they have to support America’s wars in Afghanistan and Iraq? Truly Saddam and the Taliban are America’s foes. Why not set aside their differences and grievances with their neighbors and work together to expel the Americans? Because even with America gone, Sunni Islam is still a problem for Iran. Iran does not allow the Sunnis to build a mosque in Tehran, but America does allow a Mosque in Washington D.C for both Shiite and Sunni. So does Russia and China. So who do you thing hate the Sunnis more? Is it because they conceal this murderous hatred? Observe Iran’s actions carefully and you will see through this thing veil of brotherhood they use to deceive other Sunni Muslims and the world. They commit a lot of atrocities against even moderate Sunnis in Iran, including ransacking their prayer houses.

I used to support Iran and even pray for them, until I did some thorough research on their actions after 1979. I ask every Sunni Muslim to do the same and I am sure they will arrive at the same conclusion. Whether America wins or Iran wins is still bad for the Sunnis. Frankly, I think Iran is worse. Why? Because they will try to infiltrate and distort the Sunni faith far far beyond anything America and Israel have done.

I hope the saker allows this post through. It will enlighten a lot of people who may want to do their own research.

***comment ends***

In response to Danjuma Musa's comment, another poster PARABELLUM kills the beat.


PARABELLUM: According to you: Taliban is muslim

It’s a common knowledge that: Taliban was created and funded by USA, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan to serve their aim of driving out the Soviets (who had invaded because they feared the then fresh Iranian Islamic revolution would happen in Afghanistan).

Then why do you expect Iran to cooperate with the Taliban?

Who created, funded and installed saddam and taliban? USA or Iran?

Who supported the Phalange who killed 460 – 3,500 muslim civilians in Sabra and Shatila massacre? Israel/USA or Iran?

Who created chaos in Libya and overthrew Gaddafi? By whose actions did 2,500 – 25,000 civilians got killed in the Libyan civil war? USA/NATO (which also includes Turkey which is majority sunni) or Iran.

Whose actions led to the death of 100,000 – 200,000 civilians in the 1st gulf war? USA or Iran

183,535 – 206,107 iraqis killed during invasion and occupation of Iraq. Who invaded and occupied Iraq, USA/NATO or Iran?

Over 111,000 afghans killed during the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan.
Who invaded and occupied Afghanistan, USA/NATO or Iran?

About 400,000 syrians killed in syrian civil war. Who started it? NATO/USA/Israel or Iran?

Who killed 10,000 killed in yemen civil war? Saudi coalition or Iran?

Who created, funded and armed ISIS, al-Qaeda, al-shabaab, boko haram (and God knows how many of these fake groups)? NATO/USA/Saudi Arabia or Iran?

Who killed more sunni muslims?
USA/NATO or Iran?

Whose infiltration is bad? Iran’s shia sect which is fighting against USA/NATO occupation or the takfiri fanatics funded by the anglozionist allies, the sauds?

Who supports the Palestine (which consists of majority sunnis) cause with money, military and martyrs more?
Sunni states or Iran?

While researching Iran you probably forgot to research about USA and NATO.

I advice you to total the number of deaths I presented above since they are mostly sunni and gasp at the number if you have even an iota of shame left in you.

***comment ends****

Well, as at the time of copying & pasting this report season film, DANJUMA MUSA don Japaaa!

We no see him brake light for that thread again.