U.S. Targeted Iranian Official Same Day as Soleimani

The U.S. unsuccessfully attempted to target a second senior Iranian military official on the day as the airstrike that killed Qassem Soleimani, The Washington Post reports.

An unnamed source within the Trump administration told the Post that the U.S. attempted carry out a mission against Abdul Reza Shahlai, a financier and important commander in the Quds Force that Soleimani headed. State Department Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook said in December that the government is offering "up to $15 million for information on the financial activities, networks, and associates of Abdul Reza Shahlai."

“Shahlai has a long history of attacks Americans and our allies globally,” Hook said. “Given Shahlai’s track record of terrorism and destabilization in Iraq, we remain gravely concerned by his presence in Yemen and potential role in providing advanced weaponry of the kind that we have interdicted to the Houthis.”

A Pentagon spokesperson said in a statement: "We have seen the report of a Jan. 2 airstrike in Yemen, which is long understood as a safe space for terrorists and other adversaries to the United States. The Department of Defense does not discuss alleged operations in the region.”

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