Déjà vu: Trump warns of US president starting war with Iran to win elections

Tension in the Middle East escalated when the United States carried out an airstrike that killed Iran’s top military commander Major General Qassem Soleimani along with Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

As Iran vowed ‘harsh revenge’ in the response of Soleimani's killing, the Islamic Republic launched a missile attack on US-led forces in Iraq in the early hours of Wednesday claiming to kill at least 80 ‘American terrorists’.

After the assassination, US President Donald Trump said that he took the decision “to stop war, not start war.”



As US presidential elections are scheduled for November this year, the timing Trump’s decision to kill Soleimani can be questioned as Trump took a cynical view of possible conflict between US and Iran back in 2011 when Barack Obama was the president.

In order to get elected, @BarackObama will start a war with Iran.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 29, 2011

Trump in 2011 tweeted that, “in order to get elected, Barack Obama will start a war with Iran.”

Before the tweet, Trump posted a video claiming that Obama, “will start a war with Iran because he has absolutely no ability to negotiate. He’s weak and he’s ineffective.”

“So the only way he figures that he’s going to get reelected — and as sure as you’re sitting there — is to start a war with Iran,” Trump said, “I believe that he will attack Iran sometime prior to the election because he thinks that's the only way he can get elected. Isn't it pathetic?”

Trump on Nov. 16, 2011:

“Our president will start a war with Iran because he has absolutely no ability to negotiate. He's weak and he's ineffective. So the only way he figures that he's going to get reelected — and as sure as you're sitting there — is to start a war with Iran.” pic.twitter.com/usZFLiHnBw

— JM Rieger (@RiegerReport) January 3, 2020

Don't let Obama play the Iran card in order to start a war in order to get elected--be careful Republicans!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 22, 2012

Trump continued to predict that US will start a war with Iran even after Obama won the 2012 presidential elections.

I predict that President Obama will at some point attack Iran in order to save face!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 16, 2013