One last point to consider about "Iranian government official" Soleimani.
If the Iranians want to claim that all of his actions were on behalf of the Iranian state, okay by me, but that means Iran has been conducting actual, formal war against us for years.
Good luck. But. /1
If the Iranians want to claim that all of his actions were on behalf of the Iranian state, okay by me, but that means Iran has been conducting actual, formal war against us for years.
Good luck. But. /1
If the Iranians want to look the other way and shrug while Soleimani was organizing terrorism and unconventional military attacks against the U.S. and its allies, then they can't complain if he got iced for being a party to an armed conflict. Can't play that both ways. /2
Personally, I think @arenda (and USG lawyers) are right: for years this guy made himself a legit target. Iran is all about terrorism and deniability, so those of you squawking about a "senior Iranian leader" should be more careful about what you want Iran to admit to. /3x
