January 13, 2020
Congress has to figure out whether Trump's four embassy claim is real
The targeted killing of Qasem Soleimani, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, carried with it significant potential to serve as a catalyst for a broader overt and covert military conflict with Iran. Now, Congress and the American public need an honest explanation for the reasons behind the President's order authorizing the military action against Soleimani, particularly in light of Trump's claim that four embassies were targeted for terrorist attacks at Soleimani's direction. It's time for the intelligence committees to call the intelligence chiefs to testify under oath.
The intelligence committees of Congress were designed for this moment.
In just the first two weeks after the attack, Iran has launched a counterattack at a US and allied forces base in Iraq, at least 56 Iranians were killed in stampedes during funeral processions for Soleimani and 176 souls from at least seven different countries were killed when an Iranian missile struck a Ukrainian passenger jet during the tense days after the Soleimani strike.
Read the full article in CNN.
More from CNAS
-
Stories from the Backchannel: Season Two Trailer
Podcast
Now more than ever, Americans are interested in the people working behind the scenes on consequential national security decisions. In Season Two of Stories from the Backchanne...
By Ilan Goldenberg, Richard Fontaine, Susanna V. Blume, Kayla M. Williams, Price B. Floyd, Kurt Campbell & Kara Frederick
-
Sending Troops Back to the Middle East Won’t Stop Iran
Commentary
The Trump administration’s decision to kill Qassam Soleimani is the latest in an escalatory “maximum pressure” Iran strategy that is shifting American foreign policy attention...
By Chris Dougherty & Kaleigh Thomas
-
Why did the Pentagon ever give Trump the option of killing Soleimani?
Commentary
Sending the U.S. military to use force is among the most consequential decisions presidents can make. Matters may get out of control even with the most careful and deliberate ...
By Alice Hunt Friend, Mara Karlin & Loren DeJonge Schulman
-
War with Iran is still less likely than you think
Commentary
In the wake of the U.S. attack that killed Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, head of Iran’s Quds Force, many are concerned yet again about the potential for escalation between the Un...
By Michael Horowitz & Elizabeth N. Saunders
