Washington: US President Donald Trump on Saturday said the execution of Iran's elite IRGC Qassem Soleimani by US military was aimed 'to stop a war, not to start a war.'"We took action last night to stop a war, not to start a war. We do not seek regime change, however, the Iranian regime's aggression in the region including use of proxy fighters to destabilise its neighbours must end now," Trump said in a statement. He also said that Qassem was plotting attacks on US diplomats and military personnel before he was killed.

This statement comes at a backdrop of Washington's strike carried out near Baghdad's international airport killing Soleimani, a US-designated terrorist, along with six others on the direction of President Donald Trump. Talking about America's policy in the region, he said, "To terrorists who harm or intend to harm any American, we will find you; we will eliminate you. We will always protect our diplomats, service members, all Americans, and our allies."