UPDATE: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs later said Don was “misinformed.”
BANGKOK — Foreign affairs minister Don Pramudwinai said Tuesday the U.S. government informed him of the military operation that killed Iran’s top general a day before it was carried out.
Speaking to the media at the Government House this morning, Don said the U.S. alerted the Thai government and made the case reasons behind the drone strike that killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani beforehand.
“The U.S. told us about the operation on Jan. 2,” Don said. “They have been in touch with us and the ASEAN countries to keep us informed of what’s going to happen, but it doesn’t mean that we could have prevented it.”
Read: Drone Strike on Soleimani Renews Debate on Conscription
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also published a statement on its website today, calling for the international community to “exercise maximum restraint” and “refrain from the use of force” in order to maintain regional stability.
It is not immediately clear how much extent the U.S. revealed to Thailand about the strike. Ministry spokeswoman Busadee Santipitaks was unavailable for comments as of publication time. UPDATE: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs later said Don was “misinformed.”
Thailand has been designated by Washington DC as a major non-NATO ally since 2003, which gives Thailand extensive defense and security cooperation advantages with the U.S.
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