After the killing of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in a US missile attack in Baghdad, prominent Democrats have sharply criticized US President Donald Trump. Former vice president and current presidential candidate Joe Biden wrote in a statement that the US may be "on the brink of a major conflict in the Middle East." Trump has just "thrown a stick of dynamite into a powder keg".
My statement on the killing of Qassem Soleimani. pic.twitter.com/4Q9tlLAYFB
- Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) January 3, 2020The Iranian Al-Kuds brigade commander, Ghassem Soleimani, deserves to be held accountable "for his crimes against American soldiers," Biden continued. But the US attack unnecessarily escalated the already dangerous situation in the region.
The House of Representatives democratic leader Nancy Pelosi questioned the legality of the attack. This was done "without consultation with the congress", wrote Pelosi in a statement. The lives of US forces and diplomats should not be further endangered by "provocative and disproportionate" acts, Pelosi wrote. The air attack could lead to a further "dangerous escalation of violence".
