Seven months ago President Trump approved the killing of Qassem Soleimani if Iran continued escalating conflict with the United States.

The presidential directive, which came in June, required that Trump approve the final sign-off of an operation to get Soleimani, according to NBC News.

"There have been a number of options presented to the president over the course of time," a senior administration official said in comments released Monday. The official said it was "some time ago" when the administration added killing Soleimani as an option to respond against Iran.

Officials said that then-national security adviser John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wanted to use the option after Iran shot down a U.S. drone, but Trump denied the request.

The president made clear at the time he only wanted to kill Soleimani if the Iranians "hit Americans," according to a person who had been briefed about the discussions.

[Click here for complete Soleimani coverage]