A particularly vindictive Donald Trump returned to the White House on Sunday, January 5, after a two-week vacation in Florida marked by one of perhaps the most significant decisions in his term: the assassination of Iranian general Ghassem Soleimani in Baghdad. Three days after a drone struck to restore American deterrence, the President of the United States has multiplied the threats.
A few hours earlier, his secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, had endeavored to dispel the fears raised by a message published the day before by Donald Trump on his Twitter account in which he raised the possibility of bombing emblematic sites of civilization Iranian in case of reprisals against American nationals or soldiers. The secretary of state had seemed to dismiss such a response, which lawyers considered a war crime. "We will do what is right", "Lawfully"he said during a marathon that saw him speak on all Sunday political broadcasts across the country.
On board Air Force One, which flew him from Miami to Andrew's military base near Washington, the President of the United States camped on his positions. "They are allowed to kill ours. They are allowed to torture and mutilate ours. They are allowed to use bombs to detonate ours. And we are not allowed to touch their cultural sites? This is not how it works "said Donald Trump in a press interview.
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In the afternoon, the president had already caused stupor by posting a surprising message on his Twitter account, this time directed against the Democrats who had protested against being kept out of a an inflection as significant as that which constituted the assassination of Ghassem Soleimani.
" These online messages will serve as a notification to the US Congress to establish that if Iran hits any American person or target, the United States will strike quickly and completely in return "Wrote Donald Trump, immediately criticized for his casual attitude towards the War Powers Act. This law requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours when he engages American forces in an armed conflict.
These Media Posts will serve as notification to the United States Congress that should Iran strike any U.S. person… https://t.co/5WPMatAVzL
Already denying his secretary of state, who had assured in the morning that Washington's responses would be " appropriate and proportionate to the actions that threaten the lives of Americans ", the president added that Washington would operate "Perhaps disproportionately". Such retaliation would, however, constitute other breaches of the laws of war.