This is stated in the statement of the congressman, published on the committee’s website.
“The administration sent to Congress a report required by law on the legal and political justification of the strike, which killed Iranian general Kassem Suleimani. This official report directly contradicts the president’s false statements that he decided to strike Iran in order to prevent an imminent attack on US personnel and embassies, ”Engel said.
According to him, the administration’s explanations do not mention any imminent threats, and the document itself shows that the excuse that the president presented to the American people turned out to be false.
As the congressman noted, in order to avoid the need to justify his actions before the congress, the administration “falsely claims that congress has already given permission for the use of military force”, justified by the 2002 resolution on the Iraq war.
“In 2002, permission was obtained in connection with the case of Saddam Hussein. This law has nothing to do with Iran or Iranian government officials in Iraq. To suggest that 18 years later this permission could justify the killing of an Iranian official means expanding the law far beyond the intentions of the congress, ”Engel said in a statement.
The politician concluded that the decision to kill Suleymani led to increased tension in relations with Iran and put the United States at risk of being drawn into a war that the American people do not need.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps General Suleymani died on the night of January 3 during a missile attack on the United States near the airport in Baghdad.
According to Robert O'Brien, an adviser to the US president on national security, the Iranian military and his supporters "were preparing the assassination of a large number of American diplomats and soldiers."
The American leader Donald Trump himself said that Suleimani allegedly was preparing the explosion of one of the US embassies.
After that, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo admitted that Washington did not have accurate data on the place and time of the Iranian general’s possible attack on American targets. Also, Pentagon President Mark Esper did not see concrete evidence of the preparation of the attacks, although he shares the opinion of the head of state that such attacks, “probably”, could be prepared.
According to US Attorney General William Barr, Suleymani “was definitely a legitimate military target” and the operation to kill him was “a legitimate act of self-defense.”
Tehran called the US strike an act of international terrorism. Iran promised to avenge the United States for the death of the general. Iranian officials also announced their intention to file a lawsuit in an international court against the US president.