"The bottom line is, the guy wasn't a "head of state". He was a terrorist responsible for many deaths and plotting to kill more. He orchestrated the Iranian attack on the U.S. Embassy (sovereign U.S. ground) in Iraq, outside of his own country earlier this week and was likely there to oversee further attacks. Unlike the OP's misguided opinion and the title of this thread, it wasn't the U.S. "provoking war" with anyone. It was a quick and decisive decision by The President to protect our country's interests and people (unlike Benghazi).

Those are the facts."
Exactly right .

Iran has been and still is the largest exporter of terror around the world and Soleimani ran Iran s terror program . Iran wants to be the predominant power in the middle east and SW Asia and they use terror to project that power.
Iran is the major force that trained and armed AQ in Iraq and ISIS. Iran taught bomb making, IED tactics, snipers , small unit tactics and terrorism to all factions in Iraq and Afghanistan that opposed the West.
Lastly, If you take the time to research (without political bias) Iran v US relations you will find that Iran has challenged every single administration going back to at least Reagan or Ford in some way. Some administrations attempted to placate Iran, others reacted swiftly and decisively. The administrations that that reacted quickly and with strength fared much better.

---