Pentagon officials reportedly presented Trump with the option of killing a top Iranian commander, not thinking he'd actually do it

MPI10/MediaPunch/IPX via Associated Press

• Top US military officials were reportedly stunned when they presented President Donald Trump with a number of options to respond to Iranian-backed violence in Iraq, and he chose the most radical solution.
• The officials reportedly put the option of killing Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani on the table, thinking he wouldn't choose such an extreme response, according to The New York Times.
• Later, the Trump administration would defend the strikes by saying Soleimani had been plotting an "imminent" attack.
• But The Times reported that there were disagreements within the administration about whether that was the case.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Top US military officials presented President Donald Trump with a number of potential responses to Iranian-backed violence in Iraq in recent days, but were stunned when he chose the most radical option, The New York Times reported Saturday evening.

The officials reportedly put the option of killing Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani on the table, thinking he wouldn't choose such an extreme solution.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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See Also:

• Trump threatens to target 52 Iranian sites 'VERY FAST AND VERY HARD' if it retaliates against any American assets
• Trump just had a top Iranian general killed, and it's triggering an intense debate over whether the strike is legally justified
• Iran has vowed revenge on the US after Trump's airstrike killed its top military commander. Here's how it could happen.

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