Secretary of State Mike Pompeo kept some things hazy during a press conference detailing the Trump administration's decision-making regarding Iran.
When asked to provide an explanation for why Washington believed Tehran posed an "imminent threat" to U.S. security before President Trump ordered an airstrike that killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, Pompeo said only that — as is the case in any situation like this — there were "multiple pieces of information" made available to the president.
Pompeo said all the relevant risks were weighed and Trump was provided with the best information in "broad detail" from the intelligence community and other teams "in the field," but didn't provide specifics about any new intelligence the administration may have received. Instead, he pointed to Soleimani's record of violence and destabilization in the region, as well as the recent strike that killed an American killed in Iraq last month, as reason enough to go through with the airstrike.
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The secretary's comments, however, likely won't satisfy those who are questioning the timing of the decision.
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