US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday said Iranian general Qassem Soleimani was killed as part of a broader strategy of deterring challenges by US foes that also applies to China and Russia.
In his speech, "The Restoration of Deterrence: The Iranian Example," at Stanford University's Hoover Institute, Pompeo focused on what he called an administration strategy to establish "real deterrence" against Iran following earlier Republican and Democratic policies that encouraged Tehran's "malign activity."
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Democratic and some Republican lawmakers have challenged the administration over the self-defense rationale supported by undisclosed intelligence over imminent attacks. US President Donald Trump has said the potential targets included four US embassies.
On Sunday, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said he had seen no intelligence forewarning of imminent attacks on embassies.
Trump on Monday added new fuel to the controversy by saying "it really doesn't matter" whether Soleimani posed an imminent threat.
Pompeo said there was "a bigger strategy" behind the killing of Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, Iran's foreign espionage and paramilitary force.
"President Trump and those of us in his national security team are re-establishing deterrence – real deterrence ‒ against the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.
"Your adversary must understand not only that you have the capacity to impose cost but that you're in fact willing to do so," Pompeo said, adding that the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal from which Trump withdrew in 2018 had emboldened Tehran.
"America now enjoys the greatest position of strength regarding Iran we've ever been in," he said, pointing to the damage done to the Iranian economy by US sanctions that Trump re-imposed following his withdrawal from the nuclear deal.
"The importance of deterrence isn't confined to Iran," Pompeo said. "In all cases, we must deter foes to defend freedom. That's the whole point of President Trump's work to make our military the strongest it's ever been."
He cited the resumption of lethal military aid to Ukraine for defense against Russia-backed separatists, Trump's withdrawal from an arms control accord with Moscow and tests of a new US intermediate-range cruise missile.
Pompeo also pointed to increased US naval exercises in the South China Sea in response to China's militarization of disputed islands and Trump's imposition of tariffs on Chinese imports as aspects of the administration's deterrence strategy.
"We're restoring credibility to deterrence," he said.
Meanwhile, US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Monday he expected the Senate would debate a war powers resolution soon, although he did not provide a more specific timeline.
"I expect the Senate will soon debate [Democratic] Senator [Tim] Kaine's war powers resolution," McConnell said in the Senate, adding that he would strongly oppose the measure. The resolution, companion to one that passed the Democratic-led House of Representatives last week, would block Trump from further military action against Iran without congressional authorization.
