US Killing of Soleimani: 'Assassination' or Not?... Controversy Intensifies in the US

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[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Legal controversies are arising in the United States over whether the U.S. military's airstrike that killed Qasem Soleimani, a powerful figure in the Iranian military, constitutes an assassination. In the U.S., assassination is prohibited by federal law, and debates are expected to continue over whether the U.S. military's recent airstrike operation was a lawful removal under domestic and international law.

On the 6th (local time), CNN reported that various terms are being used both inside and outside the U.S. regarding the U.S. military's airstrike killing of Soleimani, and that the Trump administration is particularly sensitive to the term "assassination." Since assassination has been illegal under U.S. federal law since 1981, U.S. officials avoid using the term. According to CNN, President Donald Trump used the term "terminated," while the U.S. government justified the airstrike by using terms such as "targeted killing" or "lethal action." In contrast, Iran refers to Soleimani's death as an assassination by the U.S. military.

The Trump administration has explained that the removal of Soleimani was a defensive and lethal action against attacks that Soleimani could have initiated. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley stated that Soleimani was in a position to carry out attacks that could kill at least dozens of Americans "within days or weeks." A senior State Department official also claimed there was overwhelming evidence of plans to attack U.S. facilities and explained that since Soleimani could not be physically arrested, a "lethal action" against him was inevitable.

However, controversy continues over whether Soleimani's killing was a defensive measure to prevent a potential Iranian preemptive attack, as explained by the Trump administration. Hina Shamsi, director of the National Security Project at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), told CNN that the Trump administration's justification for Soleimani's killing is not yet convincing, stating that "the domestic and international legal conditions that allow the use of force only in very limited circumstances were not met." Agnes Callamard, the UN Special Rapporteur, also said regarding the justification of self-defense that it is "only valid when there is evidence of an imminent armed attack."

The Trump administration has not engaged in direct armed conflict with Iran. Since 2014, the U.S. and Iran have jointly fought against the Islamic radical militant group "Islamic State" (IS) in Iraq and Syria. The U.S. Congress has also never authorized a war against Iran.

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