- Soleimani, Baghdadi killings cited.
- Trump asserts Iran takes him seriously.
- Defends record of decisive military action.
US President Donald Trump forcefully rebutted suggestions that Tehran was not taking his administration seriously, leveraging his record of decisive military action in the Middle East. According to reports shared by @RapidResponse47, President Trump was asked by a journalist whether he felt Iran was failing to acknowledge the seriousness of US policy.
The President used the opportunity to list key operations carried out under his command. These included, most prominently, the elimination of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani and the neutralization of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Furthermore, President Trump pointed to actions concerning “Iranian nuclear assets” and the elimination of associated threats, alongside intervention in the Venezuelan situation.
The journalist’s question, based on the transcript provided by @RapidResponse47, inquired, “Don’t you think Iran is not taking you seriously? Qasem Soleimani’s assassination, Al-Baghdadi’s killing, the bombing of Iranian nuclear assets and the elimination of the threat, and now Venezuela. Do you still think they don’t take me seriously?”
President Trump responded by reaffirming this list of decisive actions as proof of American resolve and Iranian acknowledgement of US power. “The assassination of Qasem Soleimani, the killing of Al-Baghdadi, the bombing of Iranian nuclear assets and the elimination of the threat, and now Venezuela,” President Trump stated, effectively using his accomplishments as his answer, proving that these massive actions fundamentally changed the strategic dynamic.
By listing these events, President Trump implied that such high-stakes military successes, particularly the drone strike that killed Soleimani, a major figure in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the raid that killed Baghdadi, serve as irrefutable evidence of America’s deterrence capability. The reference to Venezuelan affairs also underscores a broader foreign policy doctrine focusing on countering adversaries across different geopolitical theaters. Analysts suggest that linking the Soleimani killing directly to the perception of seriousness by Iran highlights the high-risk, high-reward strategy employed by the administration in confronting long-standing adversaries.