Trump 'surprised' to hear Erdoğan calling Soleimani a 'martyr'
U.S. President Donald Trump was "surprised" to hear that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called slain Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani, the architect of Tehran’s overseas clandestine and military operations, "a martyr." "I disagree 100 percent and I'm sure he does too, but he has a public to take care of. I guess that's for his own reason," Trump said.
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U.S. President Donald Trump was "surprised" to hear that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called slain Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani "a martyr."
"I'm actually surprised to hear that, but that's okay," Trump said during a press conference with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the White House on Jan. 7 upon a question from a reporter on Erdoğan's remarks.
"I disagree 100 percent and I'm sure he does too, but he has a public to take care of. I guess that's for his own reason," Trump added.
Soleimani, the architect of Tehran’s overseas clandestine and military operations, was killed on Jan. 3 in a U.S. air strike on his convoy at Baghdad airport, prompting outrage from Iran.
Following the assassination, Erdoğan held a phone call with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, during which he allegedly called Soleimani a "martyr."