Former CIA chief John Brennan blasted the murder of Iran’s top nuclear scientist, calling the assassination “very reckless,” then found himself in a Twitter war with Texas Senator Ted Cruz over of his comments.
Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was killed on Friday when a gunman ambushed him in his car near Tehran. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed revenge on Saturday and pledged to continue the work of the man some have called Iranian Oppenheimer.
“It was a criminal act and very reckless,” tweeted Brennan, who led the CIA under President Obama from 2013 to 2017. “This risks provoking deadly retaliation and a new wave of regional conflict. Iranian leaders would do well to wait for the return of responsible American leadership on the world stage and resist the urge to respond against the alleged culprits.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani blamed Israel for the attack.
Brennan said he was unsure whether a foreign government authorized or carried out the murder, but said: “Such an act of state-sponsored terrorism would be a flagrant violation of international law and encourage more governments to carry out crimes. deadly attacks against foreign officials. . “
He said the assassinations are “very different from strikes against terrorist leaders and members of groups like Al-Qaida and Islamic State, which are not sovereign states. As fighters illegitimate under international law, they can be targeted in order to stop deadly terrorist attacks. “
Cruz criticized Brennan for commenting, Tweeter that it was “bizarre to see a former CIA chief still siding with Iranian fanatics chanting ‘Death to America.’ And condemn Israel out of reflex. He also tried to link Brennan’s comments to President-elect Biden .
“It is typical for you to misinterpret my comment,” replied Brennan, asserting that Cruz has “a lawless attitude and a simple-minded approach to serious national security issues.”
Brennan criticized Cruz’s accusations that he should not make public statements, claiming that as a private citizen his comments are free speech. “My commitment to Israel’s security and my efforts to counter Iran’s malicious activities are well documented throughout my 33 years of national security work serving the Republican and Democratic administrations. Other than his boring rhetoric, what ever did Senator Cruz do?
