Trump warns of ‘disproportionate’ response if Iran strikes US targets

President Trump warned Sunday of a “disproportionate” military response to Iran if it carries out a retaliatory strike against the U.S. 

Trump said that “these Media Posts” — seemingly referring to his tweets — “will serve as notification to the United States Congress that should Iran strike any U.S. person or target, the United States will quickly & fully strike back, & perhaps in a disproportionate manner.”

“Such legal notice is not required, but is given nevertheless!” he added in his tweet.

These Media Posts will serve as notification to the United States Congress that should Iran strike any U.S. person or target, the United States will quickly & fully strike back, & perhaps in a disproportionate manner. Such legal notice is not required, but is given nevertheless!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2020

Trump ordered the attack that killed top Iranian commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani without briefing top congressional officials, the so-called Gang of Eight, until after the strike. 

His afternoon tweet followed one from early Sunday morning touting the U.S. military. He warned that the U.S. would send its “brand new beautiful equipment” to Iran “without hesitation” if the nation attacks an American base or person. And on Saturday night, he warned that he would “hit them harder than they have ever been hit before” if they were to attack. 

Trump’s tweets cane after he decided last week to kill Soleimani. The decision has been questioned by many Democrats who claim Trump and his administration have not fully answered why the attack was necessary on that day. 

The Trump administration has defended the move, and administration officials claim that it made the U.S. safer, as they say Soleimani was planning attacks against the U.S. But critics of the plan question whether the administration has thought through all the consequences and warn that the U.S. is now closer to war with Iran.