The Iranian general Donald Trump ordered killed by U.S. forces Thursday evening, Qassem Soleimani, was sanctioned in 2011 by the Obama administration for his role in a failed terror attack on Washington, DC.

Solemani Targeted Restaurant in Washington, DC in 2011

Soleimani, who was leader of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds force, helped plan an  attack on a popular restaurant in Washington, targeting a Saudi ambassador to the U.S.

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In 2011, the U.S. Treasury explained what occurred while announcing the sanctions against Soleimani and four others.

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U.S. Treasury Explains Why Obama Sanctioned Solemani

“The U.S. Department of the Treasury today announced the designation of five individuals, including four senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) officers connected to a plot to assassinate the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United States Adel Al-Jubeir, while he was in the United States and to carry out follow-on attacks against other countries’ interests inside the United States and in another country,” the Treasury’s press release read. “As part of today’s action, Treasury also designated the individual responsible for arranging the assassination plot on behalf of the IRGC-QF…”

“As IRGC-QF Commander, Qasem Soleimani oversees the IRGC-QF officers who were involved in this plot. Soleimani was previously designated by the Treasury Department under E.O. 13382 based on his relationship to the IRGC,” it continued. “He was also designated in May 2011 pursuant to E.O. 13572, which targets human rights abuses in Syria, for his role as the Commander of the IRGC-QF, the primary conduit for Iran’s support to the Syrian General Intelligence Directorate (GID).”

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“The IRGC-QF is the Government of Iran’s primary foreign action arm for executing its policy of supporting terrorist organizations and extremist groups around the world,” continued the press release. “The IRGC-QF provides training, logistical assistance and material and financial support to militants and terrorist operatives, including the Taliban, Lebanese Hizballah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command.”

The Treasury Department release continued, “IRGC-QF officers and their associates have supported attacks against U.S. and allied troops and diplomatic missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. The IRGC-QF continues to train, equip and fund Iraqi Shia militant groups – such as Kata’ib and Hizballah – and elements of the Taliban in Afghanistan to prevent an increase in Western influence in the region.”

“In the Levant, the IRGC-QF supports terrorist groups such as Lebanese Hizballah and Hamas, which it views as integral to its efforts to challenge U.S. influence in the Middle East,” it concluded.

This piece originally appeared on ThePoliticalInsider.com and is used by permission.

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