The president, Donald Trump, published on Friday on the social network Twitter his first statements about the air bombing he ordered yesterday in Iraq and that ended the life of the top military leader of Iran, Qasim Soleimani.
"Iran has never won a war, but has never lost a negotiation," the president wrote. Before, he had published an image of an American flag, and had spread two messages from other people who held Soleimani responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, including American soldiers.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1212924762827046918
Russia has ensured that the attack is "plagued with serious consequences"; China said it was "very worried"; and, in Iran, the most powerful religious leader, Ali Al Sistani, asked to prepare “for difficult times”; and an advisor to the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, said: "I tell Americans, especially Trump, that we will take a rematch that will turn daylight into the darkness of night."
Trump is in his residence in Mar-a-Lago (Florida), where he has spent the Christmas holidays, and has not yet returned to the White House. Nor has he issued a message to the nation or has given public explanations about what happened, although the bombing, ordered personally by the president, has maximized the situation with both Iran and the Middle East.
The US financial markets reacted with a sharp drop to the news of the attack, but it remains to be seen today, once they return to operation.
The price of oil skyrocketed in fear of a conflict with Iran, as approximately 20% of world trade crosses the Strait of Hormuz at the mercy of possible attacks or blockades from Iran. This country is also one of the world's leading producers.
Prior to the attack, forecasts for this year indicated that gasoline in the United States would remain below three dollars per gallon on average, as in previous years.
In Washington, several Democratic politicians have condemned the president's decision, including his main rival, according to the polls, ahead of the November and 2020 elections. Former Vice President Joe Biden has accused him of throwing " a dynamite cartridge into a polvorín ”, pushing the United States“ on the verge of a large-scale conflict throughout the Middle East ”.
https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1212954848666234880
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, also a presidential candidate, said "Trump's dangerous escalation brings us closer to another disastrous war in the Middle East that could cost countless lives and billions of dollars more."
Democrats recognized in any case the threat posed by the murdered Iranian military leader, Qasim Soleimani. The Department of Defense said he killed him because "he was actively developing plans to attack US diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region."
The Massachusetts senator and also presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren called him "a murderer, responsible for the deaths of thousands [of people], including hundreds of Americans." But he called Trump's decision " imprudent ."
The president of the House of Representatives, also Democrat Nancy Pelosi , said that "the number one priority of US leaders is to protect their lives and interests," but added that those lives cannot be at risk "with provocative actions. and disproportionate . "
Pelosi also demanded that Congress be urgently informed about this situation and remarked that the attack was carried out without his authorization.
The Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo , said for his part that Iraqis " dance for happiness " because Soleimani, accused of interfering with Iran in that country, "is no longer". He broadcast a video to prove it, which has been verified as true by NBC News.
