Maryland U.S. Senator slams Trump over killing of Iranian terrorist

Maryland U.S. Senator Ben Cardin is slamming President Trump after he ordered the strike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, a terrorist and key leader in Iran responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Americans.

Senator Cardin, a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a co-author of the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, issued a statement following news that the Pentagon, at the direction of the President, killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.

“President Trump’s decision to kill Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad is a provocative act taken without congressional consultation or authorization, the potential consequences of which are unknown,” Cardin said. “The Pentagon in its statement characterized the strike as ‘a defensive action to protect U.S. personnel abroad,’ but the Trump administration’s repeated confrontations with Iran tell a different story.”

Dating to his withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear agreement in 2018, President Trump has unfailingly raised tensions with Iran, according to Cardin, who said his latest act puts Americans at risk by all but inviting retaliation against U.S. and allied interests inside and outside of Iraq.

“There is no imminent threat aside from that which the president has provoked. President Trump should stop the provocations and allow diplomacy to take root,” Cardin concluded.

Senator Cardin co-sponsored legislation that would prohibit war with Iran unless authorized by Congress.