Former governor and presidential candidate Deval Patrick said that slain Iranian Maj. Gen. Qaseem Soleimani deserved “the worst.” During an interview with Boston Public Radio on Friday, Patrick said that while he is not mourning Soleimani’s death, he is concerned that President Donald Trump authorized the killing without considering the ramifications Soleimani’s death could have.
“It’s hard to be in any other place than to wish the worst for this character. He was a dangerous and destabilizing force and I for one do not mourn his death,” Patrick said. “At the same time, the consequences of what’s next is a bigger question [than] usual because we are led by a president who doesn’t think very often, as far as I can tell, about what’s next.”
Soleimani was the leader of Iran’s Quds Force, an elite force within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that is tasked with carrying out “unconventional warfare.” In 2011, Soleimani, along with other Iranian officials, were designated terrorists by the United States and Israel for allegedly plotting to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States. In 2018, the Trump administration officially labeled the entire Quds Force as a terrorist group.
Though Patrick had no sympathy for Soleimani, he emphasized the importance of taking a measured approach to any action in the Middle East.
“You have to inform yourself,” Patrick said. “[I want to believe] that there is a consultation with our allies that would be available to the president, but I have very little confidence that he availed himself to that, and therefore, I think we all need an explanation for his reasoning, and some understanding of what the administration believes are the next steps so we can prepare for them.”
