"Soleimani ought to have been taken out ‘a long time ago’ - Trump

In a statement at his Mar-a-Lago residence on Friday, Trump said his administration is not seeking a regime change in Iran, but warned Iran to stop its acts of aggression in the Middle East.

President Donald Trump doubled down on the Iranian regime, after ordering the assassination of its top military officer, Major General Qassem Soleimani.

“The Iranian regime’s aggression in the region — including its use of proxy fighters to destabilise its neighbours — must end and it must end now,” he said.

Trump said Soleimani ought to have been taken out ‘a long time ago’, meaning his predecessors did nothing.

He said he authorized a precision strike against the commander of Iran’s security and intelligence services because he was plotting “imminent and sinister attacks” on Americans.

“We caught him in the act and terminated him,” Trump said.

Reporters who wanted to ask questions about the assassination were rebuffed as the President walked away after delivering his address.