Commenting on the “imminent nature of the threat of Soleimani”, President Trump stated: “probably it was going to be the embassy in Baghdad… I can reveal that I believe it would have been fo[u]r embassies. And I think that probably Baghdad already started”. Secretary of Defense Esper subsequently noted that “I didn't see one [piece of evidence] with regard to four embassies… my expectation was they were going to go after our embassies. The embassies are the most prominent display of American presence in a country”. He further maintained that “we had information that there was going to be an attack within a matter of days that would be broad in scale, in other words, more than one country… That threat has been disrupted. I think what we have to find out now is continue to work to make sure that that threat is completely eliminated”. Esper also indicated that “we are confident we restored deterrence… we do not expect any further attacks”.