The former French ambassador to the US and the United Nations called the US “totally unpredictable” in the wake of the Friday airstrike in Iraq that killed a top Iranian general and left stunned global leaders fearing a “World War III.”

“The Americans are now totally unpredictable,” Gerard Araud said in a new interview. “There was no response to Iranian attacks against oil tankers, a US drone and Saudi oil fields, but out of the blue comes this surprising hit on Soleimani. We are depending on the unpredictable reaction of one man.”

President Trump said he ordered the strike that took out Qassem Soleimani to prevent him from executing further attacks on Americans.

The assassination followed months of building tension with Tehran that culminated with a Dec. 27 strike by Iran-backed militia that killed an American contractor working in Iraq.

The Friday killing came as Iran has been hit hard by U.S. sanctions, affecting both its military strength and economy, according to Araud.

Despite Iran’s weak position, its leaders vowed retaliation Friday — and global leaders took the threat seriously.

Juergen Hardt, a spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s political party, the Christian Democratic Union, said the American attack risks an “asymmetric Iranian retaliation and a new wave of violence.”