Defense Secretary Mark Esper says an Iranian attack was 'days' away when the US decided to assassinate Qassem Soleimani

Associated Press

• Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Tuesday the US assassinated top Iranian leader, Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, to preempt an attack the Iranians were planning to carry out within "days."
• Also on Tuesday, Trump's national security adviser, Robert O'Brien, said Soleimani was "plotting ... to attack American facilities and diplomats" at sites also occupied by US "soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines." 
• The Trump administration has refused to disclose any information about the intelligence that allegedly motivated its dramatic escalation with Iran.
• Notably, the Trump administration didn't use the term "imminent" to describe Iran's planned attacks in its original statement justifying the strike.
• Because the president did not seek or receive authorization from Congress to strike Iran, he must show he acted to defend US forces or the nation in order to be in compliance with US and international law.
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Defense Secretary Mark Esper told reporters on Tuesday it is "more than fair to say" Iran was planning to carry out an attack on US targets within "days," prompting the US to assassinate Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani. 

"We reached the point where we had to act in self-defense," Esper said of the US strike that killed Soleimani and a powerful Iraqi leader. 

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