Congress has two main reactions to Trump's killing of Iran's Gen. Soleimani: Bin Laden or Saddam Hussein


President Trump's order to kill a top Iranian commander, Gen. Qassem Soleimani, an Iraqi militia leader, and others near Baghdad International Airport on Thursday was apparently news to Congress. And Congress had two general responses: Trump has killed a murderous commander with ample U.S. blood on his hands, and Trump might have just launched a major war with Iran.
Soleimani was leader of the elite Quds Force, the foreign wing of the Revolutionary Guards, and he was close with Iran's supreme leader and wielded immense political power in Iran as well as Iraq and Syria. "Just imagine how we’d react if some adversary assassinated a member of the Joint Chiefs, an Undersecretary of State, or the [Director of National Intelligence]," said Harvard international relations professor Stephen Walt. Iranian-American journalist Yashar Ali compared the strike to another country killing the U.S. vice president.
There was a clear partisan split to the reactions. For Republicans, this was more like the killing of Osama bin Laden:
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
For Democrats, it was more reminiscent of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, but without any input from Congress:
Senators were even arguing over Twitter.
Trump himself has not issued a statement, but he did tweet a photo of the American flag. Peter Weber
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
September 14 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include RFK Jr on the hook, the destruction of discourse, and more
-
Air strikes in the Caribbean: Trump’s murky narco-war
Talking Point Drug cartels ‘don’t follow Marquess of Queensberry Rules’, but US military air strikes on speedboats rely on strained interpretation of ‘invasion’
-
Crossword: September 14, 2025
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Air strikes in the Caribbean: Trump’s murky narco-war
Talking Point Drug cartels ‘don’t follow Marquess of Queensberry Rules’, but US military air strikes on speedboats rely on strained interpretation of ‘invasion’
-
How Benjamin Netanyahu shaped Israel in his own image
The Explainer He has seldom been personally popular, but ‘King Bibi’ is an exceptionally shrewd operator
-
Calls for both calm and consequences follow Kirk killing
TALKING POINTS The suspected assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk has some public figures pleading for restraint, while others agitate for violent reprisals
-
Why does Donald Trump keep showing up at major sporting events?
Today's Big Question Trump has appeared at the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500 and other events
-
‘Democracy is under threat globally’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Former top FBI agents sue, claiming Trump purge
Speed Read The agents alleged they were targeted by a “campaign of retribution”
-
Why does Trump keep interfering in the NYC mayoral race?
Today's Big Question The president has seemingly taken an outsized interest in his hometown elections, but are his efforts to block Zohran Mamdani about political expediency or something deeper?
-
Judge lets Cook stay at Fed while appealing ouster
Speed Read Trump had attempted to fire Cook over allegations of mortgage fraud