Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday said the US made an “intelligence-based assessment” to justify a drone strike that killed a top Iranian commander who was “working actively” on an imminent attack in the region.

The decision to launch the strike “saved American lives,” Pompeo told CNN.

“Dozens, if not hundreds” of US lives were at risk from “imminent” attacks in which Gen. Qassim Soleimani – the Iranian Quds Force leader — was involved, he said.

“These were threats that were located in the region,” the top diplomat added when asked if the US homeland was at risk.

Pompeo did not disclose details of any imminent attacks, but said the Trump administration would “do our best” to soon release intelligence information.

When pressed on comments by foreign politicians including the France’s minister of state for Europe, who said the US action had made the world more dangerous, Pompeo said: “The French are just wrong about that.”

“The world is a much safer place today,” he said.

Earlier Friday, Pompeo said the US was still “committed to de-escalation.”

He tweeted that he had spoken with British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and Chinese Politburo member Yang Jiechi about the killing.

“Thankful that our allies recognize the continuing aggressive threats posed by the Iranian Quds Force,” he wrote. “The US remains committed to de-escalation.”

Meanwhile, images emerged Friday of the twisted metal remnants of the vehicle in which Soleimani and others were killed, including Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was the deputy commander of Iran-backed militias operating in Iraq.