Trump's previous national security team reportedly talked him out of killing Soleimani several times

James Mattis, Trump, John Kelly
(Image credit: Andrew Harrer-Pool/Getty Images)

It's still unclear what prompted President Trump to order the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani on Jan. 3. Members of Congress say they haven't been show evidence that Soleimani presented an "imminent" threat, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has suggested "imminent" might not be the right word, and on Sunday, Defense Secretary Mark Esper and National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien walked back Trump's assertion that U.S. intelligence predicted Soleimani had planned to attack four U.S. embassies.

But it wasn't a new idea for Trump, The Washington Post reported Sunday. Trump first brought up killing Soleimani in the spring of 2017, at the start of his presidency, and he revived the idea "several times again in the months and years to follow." Esper's predecessor, retired Gen. James Mattis, "resisted any action" on Soleimani and probably "wouldn't have presented the option to the president," former White House officials told the Post. According to The New York Times, Esper and Trump's new national security team presented killing Soleimani as the "extreme" option and were shocked Trump chose it.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

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.