Pompeo: "US May Launch Additional Attacks If Necessary"

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the 5th (local time) opened the possibility of follow-up retaliatory measures against the Iranian leadership following Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force, drawing attention to future attack strategies.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Secretary Pompeo appeared consecutively on U.S. broadcasts such as CNN on the same day and warned, "The U.S. government can continue to carry out actions like the killing of Commander Soleimani if necessary." He stated, "The U.S. can respond to all kinds of attacks," and added, "We have taken measures such as increasing U.S. troops in the Middle East and raising readiness." He also said, "The U.S. will take measures to emphasize cybersecurity as soon as possible."

The U.S. military carried out a decapitation operation on the 3rd at Baghdad International Airport in Iraq by deploying a drone named 'MQ-9 Reaper' to attack the target with missiles. For this operation, they meticulously tracked his movements for a week, and as soon as President Donald Trump approved the elimination, they detonated the vehicle carrying Commander Soleimani early that morning. Pompeo's remarks about 'additional measures' can be interpreted as meaning that if Iran retaliates against the U.S., further decapitation operations will be pursued.

Along with this, the U.S. government has also deployed 3,500 rapid response troops immediately after the killing of Commander Soleimani to prepare for the possibility of localized conflicts. Currently, the U.S. military has deployed 60,000 troops in the region, including 5,200 stationed in Iraq.

In a media interview on the same day, Secretary Pompeo also warned about the possibility of Iran attacking U.S. forces. He said, "I truly believe there is a real possibility that Iran might make a mistake and decide to pursue our troops, whether those in Iraq or soldiers in northeastern Syria," but added, "That would be a huge mistake."

Secretary Pompeo actively refuted skepticism raised by some. He claimed that the order to kill Commander Soleimani was the "right decision." He said, "U.S. intelligence assessments were clear," and "If we had not taken action against Commander Soleimani, it would have caused greater risks."

He explained, "Commander Soleimani actively conspired against the U.S., endangering American lives," and "President Trump made the right decision to prevent Soleimani's terrorism targeting Americans."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.