Trump Defends Attack on Iranian General

Markets are reacting sharply to news of the death of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani who was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Iraq. Oil prices rose sharply while major stock markets fell. In his first comments on the targeted attack U.S. President Donald Trump said Soleimani was responsible for the killing and wounding of thousands of Americans in the region, adding “he should have been taken out years ago”.

Talking to reporters today Trump said “We took action last night to stop a war. We did not take action to start a war.” He added he does not seek regime change in Iran, but the nation’s use of “proxy fighters to destabilize its neighbours must end and it must end now.”

Iran’s state television reports that ten people were killed in the strike including five members of the country’s Revolutionary Guard. Iran’s supreme leader vows harsh retaliation. The U.S. is urging all Americans in Iraq to leave immediately.

Iran’s deputy foreign minister says there are Americans and Europeans who owe their lives to Soleimani because of his efforts to defeat ISIS in the Middle East.

There are 850 Canadian forces members in Iraq. Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne is calling on “all sides” to be restrained and pursue de-escalation.