John Brennan: US Not Safer Without Soleimani

The United States is not in a better strategic position or safer following the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, as killing him did not take out the capabilities of the elite Quds Force he commanded or the abilities of the man who has already been chosen to succeed him, former CIA director John Brennan said Tuesday.

"He wasn't an operative that was going to put on explosives and go against an American target," Brennan, now an MSNBC contributor, said in a "Morning Joe" interview. "I think from a strategic standpoint, we have just increased the impetus for Iran to lash out at the United States."

Iran's follow-up won't just be directed by Tehran, but "all the proxy forces" Soleimani tutored over the years and who "may decide to do things on their own," Brennan warned.

"They may decide to do things on their own, uncontrolled by Tehran," he said.

Brennan appeared on the program with Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., who along with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is pushing for President Donald Trump to declassify the War Powers authorization used in the attack that killed Soleimani.

Brennan added that when he was in the Obama administration, there were also concerns "what the international legal basis would be to strike and assassinate a senior government official of a sovereign state."

Also, from a strategic standpoint, Soleimani was tracked, but "there was never a discussion in my experience during the Obama administration to target Soleimani for an assassination."

Brennan noted that while he was CIA director and as a counterterrorism adviser, Soleimani was "my principal nemesis."

"We tried to thwart his activities throughout the region," said Brennan. "He's going to be followed up, and he already has been, by an individual who has had long experience in the Quds Force."

That replacement, Gen. Esmail Ghaani, has already vowed vengeance for Suleimani's death.

Ghanni has years of experience in the Quds Force, said Brennan, even if "he doesn't have the experience, or contacts, or the charisma that Soleimani had."

• Pompeo Limits Contact With Iranian Group Linked to Giuliani
• NSA O'Brien: Soleimani Taken Out Over Plot to Kill Diplomats, Soldiers