The Iran crisis
State Department officials reportedly were not aware of imminent threats to U.S. embassies before Soleimani strike
President Trump's claim that four U.S. embassies faced an imminent threat of attack in the lead up to the killing of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani took another hit after CNN reported Monday that State Departments weren't made aware of any threats.
While the department reportedly sent a global warning to U.S. embassies before the strike occurred, anonymous State Department officials told CNN there were no warnings about specific dangers to any U.S. embassies. In cases where a threat is imminent, the officials said protocol would normally call for the department to issue explicit warnings to overseas diplomats, limit their movements, and even consider staff evacuations, none of which happened before Soleimani was killed in a U.S. airstrike earlier this month in Iraq. One official was reportedly "blindsided" by the administration justifying the strike with word of the embassy threats.
Trump doubled down on the explanation earlier Monday, accusing the media and Democrats of trying undermine the administration. He said the threat was indeed imminent and his administration was in agreement on the matter, but added it wouldn't have mattered anyway. Read more at CNN. Tim O'Donnell