Cnn President Trump directed the killing because soleimani posed an imminent threat. President trumps decision to remove Qasem Soleimani from the battlefield saved american lives. Theres no doubt about that. He was active at plotting in the region to take actions, big action as he described it, that would have put dozens if not hundreds of american lives at risk. In the last few minutes were learning from the chairman of the joint chiefs there was compelling intelligence and clear evidence that soleimani was planny a significant campaign of violence. Well see the president for the First Time Since the Deadly Strike soon. He leaves maralargo shortly and we will all over that. The major question right no is is the u. S. On a path to war with iran . Thousands have been out protests in the streets of the capital city of tehran. Soleimanis replacement already announced and we begin there in iran. With ramean. What has the response been from iran . Calling a petition from across the country from students and those in the society rallying behind the Supreme Leader and ruling theocracy calling for revenge, revenge as soon as possible. A student called this across the country, and issued a petition to register so many people, to register to take revenge. So they are mobilizing their forces to take revenge. That is the mood, but politicians, top leaders are showing selfrestraint and are thinking what to do. But the attack or retaliation against american interests is a meater of when, not if. Brooke . Its what that revenge will look like. Ramin, thank you. On the revenge, imminent tles, secretary of state pompeo says soleimani were planning attacks against american personnel in facilities in lebanon, iraq, syria and beyond. Tom foreman is in washington, d. C. Explain to us more about this part of the world and exactly who is friends with who . Tom, the floors yours. No question, brooke, iran has allies of various sorts in yemen, iraq, syria, lebanon, other places as well where they can certainly call on people to initiate action. Initiate against what . Obviously seen iran put pressure on the street here in hormuz. A great place for oil supplies. The attacks happen and Saudi Oil Fields as well between iran directly and other forces possibly exerting themselves, that also is an area in which they can reserve latch their own pow around the power of other forces nearby to help them when and if they decide to strike back. The u. S. Has allies here as well. Saudi arabia, qatar, and so on. Others who can help promote u. S. Interests but it increases the degree of tension in the area if this keeps escalating at this point. Take a look what matters here. Besides the simple fact we have interests like oil there, this is one of the really important thing. U. S. Troops in the region. Talking about sending 3,000 more in. This is raoughly how they there are now. Qatar, bahrain, thousands in saudi arabia . Probably not so much because there are so many troops there. Look over here. One area i know some military leaders are concerned about. Remember the pullback from syria . Talking 500 to 1,000 people there. They are very close to some of these iranian allies in the region. Physically very close to them. That has to be an area of concern. Look at this region. Look at the americans there. This becomes not only a fair amount of force there but also a lot to guard all at once if iran starts triggering all of these different groups to say, strike, and strike now. That is the reason so many leaders are so uneasy right now because the potential for a counterstrike and escalation is absolutely there. Brooke . Yeah. Tom, thank you so much. Former u. S. Ambassador to iraq as well as kuwait and currently president of the Arab Gulf States Institute there in washington. Mr. Ambassador, welcome, sir. Very happy to be here. Thank you. We just mentioned we learned from the chairman of joint chiefs there was a clear evidence soleimani was planning a quote unquote significant campaign of violence against the u. S. What might he mean by that . We have seen in the past that the Iranian Quds Force in conjunction with a number of their proxy forces and supporters in yemen, in iraq, in other parts of the region, have worked to put pressure on the United States, and man i should walk back about a year and say, after the Trump Administration withdrew from the Iran Nuclear Deal and then imposed the maximum pressure economic sanctions, we saw a period of time where iran tried to get europe to intervene and lessen the sanctions. When that didnt work, middle of last year you saw a new campaign from iran putting mines on tankers outside the strait of hormuz. Some civilian infrastructure in saudi arabia hit by missiling from yemen. Shooting down of the american drone and significant attack on saudi arabias facility end of september did not provide any american action, one the iranians were looking at. Saw at the end of october a series of rocket attacks on baghdads green zone, near the american embassy, and on Iraqi Military bases where american and other Coalition Forces are working with the Iraqi Military. This culminated december 27th when a 31 rocket barrage killed an American Contractor, two iraqi policemen and injured a number of other americans and iraqis. That incident has sparked much greater escalation in the past five days than weve seen before, with the american strikes on five locations in iraq and syria, with the attack on the u. S. Embassy and culminating overnight in the strikes on Qasem Soleimani and also the chief iraqi lieutenant for iran inside iraq. We know that these two have been planning with some people they have worked with, attacks on american targets in the region. These two acted as at times accelerator and a break on activity. Provided leadership and guidance from tehran and to some of the militias inside of iraq and the elimination of both of them, i think, in the iraq context, is going to leave a leadership gap that will permit smaller iraqi militias to conduct attacks without much guidance and on their own chicks could mr. Ambassador, you know this inside and on. My question is listening to what theyre saying about planning significant campaign of violence. We know for years and years the republican and Democratic Administration said this individual was an enemy of the u. S. And we had been tracking him and could have taken him out and chose not to. Given what we hear from mark milley, was this a pro pogs jus response . I cant judge. In the end, history will tell whether President Trump took the right position. Those struck have been planning attack against the United States. The question is whether the strikes against these targets will increase the risk to the United States or to americans in the region, and frankly will it increase the risk to americas friends in the region like saudi arabia, the United Arab Emirates or israel . All threatened and have been attacked recently by iranian proxies themselves. We know secretary pompeo said americans are safer as a result of this. Same time, americans are evacuating this part of the world and we report were sending in 3,000 or so more members of our military. So they have to be on edge. Thinking of our military men and women. What are we doing to protect them . Well, from the diplomatic side we have got well secured facilities in iraq and in most of the gulf. In iraq we have really just American Employees and contractors. In the rest of the gulf we have got American Military personnel. We have american diplomats, but in many cases also their spouses and children. Yes. So this population is actually more vulnerable than that in iraq and live out on the economy. It is clear washington is sending troops as a show of force to make sure that iran does not overstep. Washington also needs to work with its european allies, and send messages that the United States does not want to escalate the situation, and find a way for the iranians to gradually climb down from the anger they have expressed and the determination to strike american targets. I think both the United States and iran do not actually want an allout confrontation, and the United States can actually help reduce that confrontation over time by lowering the rhetoric and sending the proper messages potentially through some of our european or arab allies that have better relations with the iranians. Come back to that iranian anger in a second and read this. A senior fellow at new American Security also worked the in the Obama Administration told the Washington Post about the strike and recent attack on the embassy. Iran on its back foot and strikes done clumsily without kwordation with iraqis, trying to provoke this changing the discussion from iran to the United States and managed to successfully do it. Reading an article you talked to pbs, ambassador, about how iran has in your words been consistently trying to poke the United States into action over the last however many months. So did the u. S. Take the bait for lack of a better phrase . I dont know that the u. S. Took the bait as much as the iranians actually believe what the administration was stating was its red line. Through all the attacks mentioned earlier, the Trump Administration took a very, very patient and nonconfrontational response including the strikes on saudi oil facilities. But the administration messaged publicly and privately its red line was always american casualties at the hands of iran and iranian proxies and in the attack on december 27th in which the American Contractor was killed, the iranians breached that line. I also note what chairman. Joint chiefs millie saey said. Not intended to send a political message but an attack to cause casualties. I think iran was trying to provoke an american reaction, took President Trump and secretary pompeos statements about american casualties being a red line at face value, but probably underestimated the response of the United States to that one american, unfortunate American Contractors death. Hmm. Ambassador, thank you so much, sir. Incredible, incredible insight in this part of the world. Many democrats on political are calling the president s actions illegal, because he failed to brief congress before launching this deadly attack. Details on who he did tell about the plot in advance. And look at the big board. Stocks and oil markets taking massive swings to ed in reaction to this targeted killing, and President Trump leaving maralago this hour down in florida headed to a rally in miami. We will be watching to see if he stops and talks to reporters ux and if he does, well take it live. To reconnect and be together. And once we did that, we realized his greatest adventure is just beginning. vo welcome to the most adventurous outback ever. The allnew subaru outback. Go where love takes you. Anywhere in the world. Qasem soleimani. Soleimani was plotting imminent and sinister attacks on american diplomats and military personnel, but we caught him in the act and terminated him. Under my leadership americas policy is unambiguous to terrorists who harm or intend to harm any american. We will find you. We will eliminate you. We will always protect our diplomats, service members, all americans and our allies. For years the Islamic Revolutionary guard corps and its ruthless quds force under soleimanis leadership has targeted, injured and murdered hundreds of american servicemen and civilians. The recent targets in iraq including rocket strikes that killed and american and injured four american servicemen very badly as well as a violent assault on our embassy in baghdad. Carried out at the direction of soleimani. Soleimani made the death of innocent people his sick passion, contributing to terrorist plots as far away as new delhi and london. Today we remember and honor the victims of soleimanis many atrocities and take comfort in knowing that his reign of terror is over. Soleimani has been perpetrating acts of terror to destabilize the middle east for the last 20 years. What the United States did yesterday should have been done long ago. A lot of lives would have been saved. Just recently soleimani led the brutal repression of protesters in iran. Where more than 1,000 innocent civilians were tortured and killed by their own government. We took action last night to stop a war. We did not take action to start a war. I have deep respect for the iranian people. They are a remarkable people with annie cr incredible and und potential. We do not seek regime change however the region including use of proxy fighters to destabilize its neighbors must end and it must end now. The future belongs to the people of iran. Those that seek peaceful coexistence and cooperation. Not the terrorist warlords who plunder their nation to finance blood shed abroad. The United States has the best military by far anywhere in the world. We have the best intelligence in the world. If americans anywhere are threatened, we have all of those targets already fully identified, and i am ready and prepared to take whatever action is necessary, and that in particular refers to iran. Under my leadership we have destroyed the isis territorial caliphate, and recently americans special Operations Forces killed the terrorist leader known as al baghdadi. The world is a safer place without these monsters. America will always pursue the interests of good people, great people, great souls while seeking peace, harmony and friendship with all of the nations of the world. Thank you, god bless you. God bless our great military and god bless the United States of america. Thank you very much. Thank you. Mr. President mr. President mr. President , you say you view this stop to answer questions . No. The president headed to maralago, headed to a rally. Hearing in my ear. So the president there, the line highlighted. We took action to stop a war not to start a war. Kaitlan collins, earpiece back in. Kaitlan is covering the president for us. Shes in maralago. Critics of fearful otherwise . Reporter critics are. Heard it from democrats saying they disagree with the decision to strike and kill this commander, but were questioning what the aftermath would look like and what the larger strategy would be from the administration. Now you didnt hear the president highlight that or go into what exactly he thinks the response will be. Not even predicting what ethinks iran will do but defending his decision to authorize this strike that killed irans most powerful military leader saying we did not do this, take this action to start a war. We took this action to stop a war. Now, that comes as weve been reporting that the president has been hearing a little pushback from some people questioning what the aftermath of this is going to look like, but these are the first Public Comments the president has made since reports of these strikes first broke last night and the pentagon later confirmed that, yes, it was the United States behind it and, yes, it was the president who ordered it. Brooke, Something Else that stuck out about what the president said. He was praising u. S. Intelligence, which, of course, is what the pentagon, the secretary of state, everyone has been citing all day for what was behind how they found out there was going to be this imminent threat, they say, from this leader and the president saying there, we have the best intelligence in the world. Of course, that comes as the president who is often criticized the u. S. Intelligence agencies whether it comes from in regards to his campaign or in that conclusion that it was russia that interfered in the election. Something youve seen play out during his time in office. There the president was praising it, in this situation. Something theyve gone back and relied and increasingly. Talked about soleimani saying we caught him in the act and eliminated him as he spoke to reporters for a few minutes and did not take any questions, didnt detail exactly when he made the decision to carry out this order. Reporting shows he made this decision in recent days. Something he had been briefed on by his team earlier this week and, of course, Lindsey Graham stated this morning, he found out about it as an option several days ago. The president not going further saying, take comfort in knowing that his reign of terror is over. To your point about how critical this president has been of his own intelligence. You can already hear critics pointing ow he cherry picks what he chooses to hear and listen to. Kate hitlan thank you. And our reporter in tehran and ram. In, ramin, the word you used, revenge. What tehran hears we took action to stop a war not to start a war, how will that sit with tehran . Tehran in mindset of tehran, i think they say, okay. We will give you a lesson unexpectedly and we catch you by surprise in a very harsh way just to give you a lesson, and admonishing him in near future. That is the mindset going on. But at the same time, Iranian Foreign minister and ambassador in tehran as a charge of the american intersection in tehran. Just to submit the process. So it means that iran is playing a double, double tracks and following the double tracks. On one hand diplomatic