Trump was reportedly worried he looked weak on Iran before ordering airstrike against Soleimani

One of the major questions in the wake of President Trump's order to kill Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani via airstrike concerns the timing of the action. In short, why now?

Soleimani was a powerful strategic adversary of the U.S., who has been viewed as a national security threat and has been accused of orchestrating numerous acts of violence against the U.S. But Washington has held steady in the past.

Well, The Washington Post reports U.S. officials said one reason Trump decided to act this time was because his advisers told him that not sending a message — as was the case after Iran was accused of mining ships, shooting down a U.S. drone, and attacking a Saudi Arabian oil facility — would mean Iran might "think they can get by with anything." Trump also reportedly didn't love the media coverage he received after his previous decisions and feared that reports of his internal deliberations made him look weak.

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Apparently it was time to change that perception. Read more at The Washington Post.