WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has warned Iran of “major retaliation” if Tehran carries out any attack against America to avenge the killing of top military commander Qasem Soleimani and hinted at striking its cultural sites. His statement came hours after Iran announced it will no longer abide by the limits contained in the 2015 landmark nuclear deal.
Maj Gen Soleimani, 62, the head of Iran’s elite al-Quds force and architect of its regional security apparatus, was killed when a US drone fired missiles into a convoy that was leaving the Baghdad International Airport early on Friday. The strike also killed the deputy chief of Iraq’s powerful Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary force.
Soleimani’s killing was the most dramatic escalation yet in spiralling tensions between Iran and the US. Trump, on his way to the White House from Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida after spending his Christmas and New Year vacation, told reporters abroad Air Force One: “If it happens it happens. If they do anything there will be major retaliation”.
“They’re allowed to kill our people. They’re allowed to torture and maim our people. They’re allowed to use roadside bombs and blow up our people. And we’re not allowed to touch their cultural site? It doesn’t work that way,” Trump said in response to a question.
Iran on Sunday announced its fifth step back from the 2015 landmark nuclear deal, saying it would not observe the nuclear deal’s restrictions on fuel enrichment, on the size of its enriched uranium stockpile and on its research and development activities.
In a statement, Tehran, however, said it would continue cooperating “as before” with the International Atomic Energy Agency, which monitors the implementation of the nuclear deal. Meanwhile, Trump spoke to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson