Last night at my direction,
the United States military
successfully executed a flawless precision
strike that killed the number one terrorist
anywhere in the world.
Qassem Suleimani.
Suleimani was plotting imminent
and sinister attacks on American diplomats
and military personnel.
But we caught him in the act and
terminated him.
The recent attacks on US targets in Iraq,
including rocket strikes that killed
an American and injured four American
servicemen very badly.
As well as a violent assault on our
embassy in Baghdad were carried out
at the direction of Suleimani.
Suleimani has been perpetrating acts
of terror to destabilise the Middle East
for the last 20 years.
What the United States did yesterday
should have been done long ago.
We took action last night to stop a war.
We did not take action to start a war.
I have deep respect for the Iranian people.
They are a remarkable people with an
incredible heritage and unlimited potential.
We do not seek regime change, however,
the Iranian regime's aggression in the region,
including the use of proxy fighters
to destabilise its neighbours, must end
and it must end now.
We have the best intelligence in the world.
If Americans anywhere are threatened,
we have all of those targets already
fully identified and I am ready and prepared
to take whatever action is necessary.
And that in particular refers to Iran.
Under my leadership, we have destroyed
the ISIS territorial caliphate.
And recently, American special operations
forces killed the terrorist leader
known as al Baghdadi.
The world is a safer place without these monsters.
