The killing order of the legendary Iranian General Qasem Soleimani “saved American lives,” said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

He previously tweeted that Washington is committed to de-escalation and the decision to eliminate Suleimani was made in response to imminent threats to the lives of Americans.

In an interview with CNN, he noted that he could not say too much about the threats.

"I can't talk too much about the nature of the threats. But the American people should know that the President's decision to remove Soleimani from the battlefield saved American lives," Pompeo said on CNN's "New Day" Friday.

According to him, Soleimani planned to take action in the region, which would put hundreds of lives at risk. He noted that the decision-making process was based on an assessment of US intelligence.

Pompeo said the threats were directed to the Middle East region, and not the US territory.