US President Donald Trump said killed Iranian general Qassem Suleimani, was "saying bad things about our country". It is reported by CNN, referring to the audio speech of Trump at a dinner for the Republican Party sponsors.
"How much of this shit do we have to listen to?" Trump asked. "How much are we going to listen to?"
Trump did not describe an "imminent threat" that led to his decision to kill Soleimani, the justification used by administration officials in the aftermath of the attack.
Instead, he described Soleimani as a "noted terrorist" who "was down on our list" and "was supposed to be in his country" before traveling to other nations in the region.
Trump described in detail watching remotely as Soleimani arrived at Baghdad International Airport, where he was met by Iraqi paramilitary leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the head of Kata'ib Hezbollah.
Trump claimed erroneously that Soleimani was meeting "the head of Hezbollah" (the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group is separate from the group led by Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis).
And he claimed the strike he authorized took out "two for the price of one."
Iranian General Qassem Suleimani was killed on January 3, 2020, in Baghdad as a result of a targeted airstrike by the US Air Force.