Biden accused Trump of having ‘tossed a stick of dynamite into a tinderbox’ while Republicans in Congress largely backed the move

Democratic presidential candidates have condemned the targeted killing of Iran’s top general in a US airstrike in Iraq as reckless, with frontrunner Joe Biden accusing Donald Trump of having “tossed a stick of dynamite into a tinderbox”.

The former vice-president joined other White House hopefuls in criticizing the president’s order, saying it could leave the US “on the brink of a major conflict across the Middle East”. Republicans in Congress largely backed the move.

The Pentagon said the US military killed Qassem Suleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds force, in Baghdad at the direction of Trump. The attack is expected to draw severe Iranian retaliation against Israeli and American interests. The defense department said Suleimani “was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region”.

Qassem Suleimani's death threatens to open grisly new chapter in Middle East Read more

Most Democratic lawmakers criticized Trump’s authorization of the Suleimani strike on the basis that the president did not seek congressional approval and acted without serious consideration of the potential consequences.

Bernie Sanders released a statement saying: “Trump’s dangerous escalation brings us closer to another disastrous war in the Middle East that could cost countless lives and trillions more dollars.”

Democrats acknowledged the threat posed by Suleimani, with the Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren calling him “a murderer, responsible for the deaths of thousands, including hundreds of Americans”.

However, she added, Trump’s “reckless move escalates the situation with Iran and increases the likelihood of more deaths and new Middle East conflict”.

Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg warned of the “immediate and very real dangers to American citizens in and out of uniform in the Middle East”.

“There is no question that Qassim Suleimani was a threat to that safety and security, and that he masterminded threats and attacks on Americans and our allies, leading to hundreds of deaths,” Buttigieg said. “But there are serious questions about how this decision was made and whether we are prepared for the consequences.”

The former Indiana mayor concluded his statement by warning against the possibility of “another endless war” and implicitly criticizing Trump, who was actively defending his decision on Twitter on Friday, saying he “should have been taken out many years ago”.

“As we learn more in the coming days and weeks, one thing is clear: this must not be the start of another endless war,” Buttigieg said. “We must act wisely and deliberately, not capriciously or through Twitter.”

Entrepreneur Andrew Yang tweeted: “War with Iran is the last thing we need and is not the will of the American people. We should be acting to deescalate tensions and protect our people in the region.”

The attack, which came just days into a tense American election year, also drew criticism from Democrats who aren’t running for president.

The House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, the most powerful Democrat in Congress, said the administration conducted the airstrike without consultation of Congress or an authorization for use of military force against Iran. She said it “risks provoking further dangerous escalation of violence”.

The White House traditionally gives warning to senior members of both parties in the Senate and House of Representatives ahead of major military action.

Some Democrats, including the Massachusetts congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, began accusing Trump of choosing to attack Suleimani because he believed it would help his chances in this year’s presidential election.

“The Occupant [of the White House] was JUST impeached for abuse of power for political gain & now he is leading us to the brink of war because he believes it will help his re-election,” Pressley wrote on Twitter. “We are sick of endless wars. Congress has the sole authority to declare war and we must deescalate. #NoWarWithIran.”

But Republicans on Capitol Hill stood behind Trump, as it appeared that some senior Republicans had been briefed ahead of the strike, while their Democratic colleagues were left in the dark.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi confirmed that she was not given prior warning. She said in a statement that the deadly strike “was taken without the consultation of Congress.”

“The full Congress must be immediately briefed on this serious situation and on the next steps under consideration by the administration, including the significant escalation of the deployment of additional troops to the region,” Pelosi said.

Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said the lack of consultation with Congress can lead to “hasty and ill-considered decisions”, and warned that the administration would need congressional approval before going to war with Iran.

“When the security of the nation is at stake, decisions must not be made in a vacuum,” Schumer said. “It is paramount for administrations to get an outside view to prevent groupthink.”

But speaking to Fox News, the South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham, a key Trump ally who was seen at Mar-a-Lago earlier in the week, said he “was briefed about the potential operation when I was down in Florida”.

“This was a pre-emptive defensive strike that planned to take out the organizer of attacks yet to come. The intelligence was very strong that Soleimani was orchestrating chaos in Iraq at our expense and throughout the region.”

“When it comes to the death of General Soleimani, there is no one to blame but himself,” Graham said on Twitter. “He effectively signed his own death warrant by planning massive attacks against US personnel in Iraq and throughout the Middle East.”

He continued: “As to what happens next: it should be clear to Iran that President Trump will not sit idly by if our people and interests are threatened.”

The Oklahoma senator Jim Inhofe, the Republican chairman of the Senate armed services committee, said: “America does not and should not seek war, but it will respond in kind to those who threaten our citizens, soldiers and friends – as the president has long promised. De-escalation is preferable and possible – but only if our adversaries choose it.”