Former United States National Security Adviser John Bolton took to Twitter on Friday to praise the Trump administration for killing the head of Iran's Quds force Major General Qassem Soleimani and claimed the action marked the "first step to regime change" in the Middle Eastern country.
"Congratulations to all involved in eliminating Qassem Soleimani. Long in the making, this was a decisive blow against Iran's malign Quds Force activities worldwide. Hope this is the first step to regime change in Tehran," Bolton, who was fired by Trump in September, said.
Earlier, the US claimed its forces carried out "defensive" airstrikes on Baghdad International Airport, killing Soleimani. Iran vowed to retaliate with "crushing revenge," while US Democrats, as well as Russia, China and Iraq criticized the Trump administration's actions.