President Barack Obama’s national security adviser Susan Rice claimed that terrorists embedded in the United States “could be activated” as Iran inches toward conflict with the U.S.
Rice argued in a column that President Trump’s decision to kill Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani made Iranian attacks against Americans inevitable. She wrote in the New York Times: “Despite President Trump’s oft-professed desire to avoid war with Iran and withdraw from military entanglements in the Middle East, his decision to order the killing of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, Iran’s second most important official, as well as Iraqi leaders of an Iranian-backed militia, now locks our two countries in a dangerous escalatory cycle that will likely lead to wider warfare.”
She said she did not believe the Trump administration’s statement that Soleimani’s death was necessary to prevent an “imminent” attack against Americans because Trump’s team “lies almost daily about matters large and small.” Rice went on to argue that “even if” Trump’s decision to kill Soleimani, who was responsible for the death of at least 608 American troops, was justified, she would have advised against it.
Rice, 55, wrote that Trump’s decision triggered a series of events that are all bad for American interests, including the fallout in Iraq as the parliament orders U.S. forces to leave in a manner that could help the Islamic State regain traction in the area. She also noted that the threats could also spread beyond the Middle East.
“Even in the United States, we have reason to fear that terrorist sleeper cells could be activated,” she wrote. “Worse, we face these threats now substantially alone, as the Trump administration apparently neglected to consult or even warn our key allies and partners about the impending risks to their interests that result from killing General Soleimani.”
Sleeper cells are individuals within a given country that are sent to blend in and lead normal lives with the intention of activating them to carry out attacks at a later date. These individuals have been called to carry out attacks around the globe.
She added that she believes it will be “difficult for the United States to de-escalate tensions” in Iran following Soleimani’s death and claimed that she can’t imagine the situation ending without a full-scale war.
“If [Trump] reacts with additional force, the risk is great that the confrontation will spiral into a wider military conflict. If he fails to react in kind, he will likely invite escalating Iranian aggression,” she explained. “It’s hard to envision how this ends short of war.”
Rice was in the Obama administration during the negotiations for the Iran nuclear deal. Trump ordered the U.S. to withdraw from the deal shortly after taking office. Iran scrapped the remainder of its global ties in the deal on Sunday and announced that it would expand its uranium enrichment process. Rice called Trump a “wrecking ball” after he announced that he was leaving the nuclear deal.
Trump’s decision to strike Soleimani came after months of Iranian aggression toward the U.S., including an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Iraq and the death of an American contractor.
