Suleimani orchestrated a series of attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq in the past several months, culminating in a rocket attack Dec. 27 that killed an American citizen, wounded four U.S. service members, and threatened the lives of many more American personnel.
Suleimani also ordered the recent assault on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, according to the State Department.
He supported lethal assistance to Revolutionary Guard proxy groups that targeted and killed more than 600 Americans between 2003 and 2011.
The State Department confirmed Friday that Suleimani was traveling in the Middle East, coordinating further “imminent large-scale attacks against U.S. diplomats and service members.” It added: “Threats were highly credible, and the intelligence is sound.”
Suleimani was directly responsible for arming, funding, and training Iranian proxy groups—or militias—in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Bahrain, Yemen, Afghanistan, and elsewhere, leading to the deaths and injuries of tens of thousands, the State Department said.
Moreover, Iranian proxies regularly target and kill civilians and inflame existing sectarian conflicts.
The State Department says that Suleimani personally directed and provided arms to militias in Iraq for more than a decade, both during the Iraq War and as the U.S. military presence was winding down in the country.
The Iran-backed militias threatened Iraq’s security forces and have targeted American citizens, diplomats, and military forces.
Trump’s Democratic predecessor, President Barack Obama, signed Executive Order 13224 designating Suleimani as a “specially designated global terrorist.” Obama also signed Executive Order 13572, citing the general for human rights abuses in 2011.
President George W. Bush, a Republican, signed Executive Order 13882 in 2007, imposing sanctions blocking access to assets and property of weapons distributors that provided material support to terrorists, including Suleimani. |