Ich bin über die Ermordung von General Soleimani und Kommandant Muhandis, so wie das Vorgehen der USA tief erschüttert und sehr traurig. Wichtig festzustellen ist, dass General Soleimani seinen Krieg gegen die USA bereits gewonnen hat. Sein Tod wird die Besiegelung des Sieges nur beschleunigen.
Man bedenke, dass General Soleimani im Auftrag der iranischen Regierung nach Irak eingereist war, um ein offizielles Antwortschreiben an die Regierung von Saudi Arabien an den Premierminister von Irak zu übergeben, der zwischen den beiden Ländern vermittelte. Saudi Arabien hatte vorher über diesen Weg einen Vorschlag zur Deeskalation der Lage abgegeben. So gesehen haben die USA mit dem Mordanschlag versucht, die Vermittlungsgespräche zwischen Iran und Saudi Arabien zu unterbinden. Ohnehin ist auch Saudi Arabien nicht mehr ein sicherer Vassal für die USA. Die Saudis agieren in vielen Bereichen bereits harmonisch mit Russland und nähern sich dabei dem Iran an.
Soleimani was to deliver Tehran's reply to Saudi de-escalation letter when killed: Iraqi PM
Sunday, 05 January 2020 11:20 PM [ Last Update: Sunday, 05 January 2020 11:29 PM ]
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/01/05/615466/Soleimani-reply-to-Saudi-letter
Es gibt keine Gewinnoptionen mehr für die USA. Das war bereits seit der Vetreibung der US-Söldner aus dem Irak, vermarktet als ISIS, abzusehen. Die anderen Söldner unter den Marketingnamen AlQaeda, AhrarAlSham, FSA sind etweder stark dezimiert oder sind bereits in den Dienst der Türkei übergelaufen. Das Imperium hat kaum noch eigene Kräfte am Boden. Die Kurden mussten die USA aufgeben.
Geopolitische Lage der Türkei. | Die Interessen Europas. | Die prekäre Lage der USA.| Das Dilemma der Kurden
http://geoarchitektur.blogspot.de/p/geopolitische-lage-der-turkei-die_7.html
Alles, was General Soleimani vorgesehen hat, wird planmäßig durchgeführt. Die Stratagie von General Soleimani war richt und erfolgreich und es gibt keinen Grund, daran etwas zu ändern. Die USA werden aus Syrien und Irak vertrieben. Ungeachtet dessen werden die Iraner und Verbündeten das Blut der Ermordeten plakativ sühnen.
Mangels eines anderen Rechtssystems auf globaler Ebene, gilt zwischen den Staaten das alte Recht der Sühne und Blutrache. Dies betonend haben die Iraner die Flagge der Rache in der Stadt Qom gehisst. Das ist also ein Rechtsakt, welches nur durch ein Sühneangebot der USA oder durch Ermordung von hochrangigen US-Militärs gelöst werden kann. Hier gilt zumindest Aug umd Aug und Zahn umd Zahn. Dies wissend haben die USA über die Botschaft der Schweiz in einem merkwürdigen Brief drum gebeten, dass die Iraner bitte "nur angemessen Rache üben" sollen und senden als Sühneofper frische US-Soldaten in die Region. Das ist Zynismus und Absurdität pur, aber offensichtlich ist den USA nichts mehr peinlich.
WATCH Terrifying moment Iran unveils red flag at Mosque warning of severe battle to come
IRAN has issued a terrifying warning to the US as it raised a red flag over the Holy Dome Jamkarān Mosque as a symbol of a severe battle to come.
By GERRARD KAONGA, 00:07, Mon, Jan 6, 2020
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1223958/Iran-US-red-flag-Qassem-Soleimani-world-war-3-ww3-Donald-Trump-Jamkaran-Mosque
https://twitter.com/i/status/1213447201889886211
Staaten, die das vorhandene internationale Recht missachten, werden wie persönliche Feinde behandelt. Obgleich das internationle Recht nicht wirklich etwas bewirken kann, hat der Außenminister Irans juristische Schritte erwogen. Es gibt keine höhere Gerichtbarkeit, die solch einen Fall unabhängig beurteilen kann.
Schon vorher wurden systematisch iranische Wissenschaftler ermordet, deren Sühne ebenfalls noch bevorsteht. Der Iran hat sich bisher mit Racheaktionen zurückgehalten, weil die Gesamtstrategie für den Iran gewirkt hat.
Nach dem Scheitern der Annektion der Golan-Höhen und Gründung eines Kurdistan in Syrien und Irak, sollten die Israelis ihre jahrzehntelange Strategie der Eskalation aufgeben, aber offensichtlich sehen sie für sich keine Alternative. Deshalb verfolgen sie immer noch das Ziel, die USA gegen den Iran zu verwenden. Es ist ihnen ist egal, wie viele Iraner und Amerikaner dabei sterben. Allerdings werden die Verbündeten Irans nach eigenen Aussagen bei jedem direkten Angriff auf den Iran, nicht nur die US-Basen, sondern auch Israel angreifen, da sie wissen, wo er Ursprung der Agression liegt.
Dieses Verderben kann nur verhindert werden, wenn die USA sich aus der Konfliktlage entfernen und alle kriegerischen Aktionen, auch Wirtschaftsanktionen gegen den Iran aufgeben, damit die Israelis gezwungen werden, für sich andere Wege außerhalb eines Krieges zu suchen.
M.E. erfolgte dieser Mord im Auftrag, auf Anforderung und durch Erpressung von Netanyahu. Ich denke, dass die Gerüchte, im Zusammenhang mit Jeffrey Eppstein, über Dreck, das an Trump klebt, wahr sind und dass Netanyahu diese nutzt, um Trump wie eine Marionette zu steuern. Es gibt auch Hinweise darauf, dass Trump finanziell erpressbar ist. Was auch immer das Mittel der Wahl ist, anders sind viele Entscheidungen von Trump nicht zu deuten. Er leistet den Forderungen von Netanyahu überhaupt keinen Widerstand. Das war bei Obama noch anders.
Aus seinem "America first!" ist nur noch "Everything what Netanyahu demands!" geworden. Er riskiert die Sicherheit der US-Soldaten und das Verbleiben der USA im Mittleren Osten. Denn schon hat das irakische Parlament den Abzug der US-Truppen gefordert. Auch von wichtigen Nachbarn Irans, ist keine Unterstützung für einen US-Krieg nicht zu erwarten. Pakistans Außenminister hat erklärt, dass sein Land keine Operationen erlauben wird. Die Türkei wird die Militärbasen, auf denen die US-Truppen agieren, nicht für den Krieg freigeben, weil dieser Krieg gegen die Interessen der Türkei wäre und dazu einen alten Friedensvertrag mit dem Iran brechen würde. Das Territorium der Golfaraber ist nur bedingt nützlich. Sie würden durch iranische Raketen dem Boden gleichgemacht.
Dem Netanyahu geht es momentan um sein politisches Überleben und persönliche Freiheit, da dem israelischen Oberstaatsanwalt ein ganzes Arsenal an Korruptionsvorwürfen vorliegen und er den Netanyahu angeklagt hat. Möge es den Israelis gelingen, den Netanyahu loszuwerden, damit wieder Hoffnung auf die Lösung der Konflikte im Nahen Osten möglich wird, anstatt sie weiter eskalieren zu lassen.
No words can describe the loss of Qassem Soleimani and his comrades.
No tears can show the pain felt in millions of hearts and minds of many nations.
These men saved the lives of millions of people, when they were attacked by the imperial mercenaries, framed as Jihadists in Syria and Iraq.
Tiger (General Suhail Al-Hassan):
"All men die, but only a few know why!"
“All men die, only a few will be remembered.”
The coward and loser who ordered his killing is Benjamin Netanyahu.
The pervert whose dirty images and videos are in the hands of Netanyahu and was blackmailed to murder Qassem Suleimani is Donald Trump, the so called President of the USA. His balls in the hands of Netanyahu, his slogan "America first" has been turned "everthing for saving the ass of Netanyahu". Recognize that the Israelis try to disempower him by evidence of fraud and corruption.
How one Epstein victim was said to be recruited from Mar-a-Lago, and all the other connections between the accused sex trafficker and Trump’s Palm Beach resort
Kat Tenbarge 20 Sep 2019
https://www.businessinsider.de/international/jeffrey-epstein-and-trump-mar-a-lago-resort-connections/
Who were the rich and powerful people in Jeffrey Epstein's circle?
The wealthy financier was connected to well-known names including Trump, Clinton and Prince Andrew before his July arrest
Edward Helmore in New York, Sat 10 Aug 2019 15.58 BST
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/aug/10/jeffrey-epstein-trump-clinton-friends
Jeffrey Epstein madam allegedly hiding in Israel
Ghislaine Maxwell reportedly on the run from authorities ever since Epstein’s mysterious death in prison.
by Israel Hayom Staff Published on 01-02-2020 15:13 Last modified: 01-03-2020 12:03
https://www.israelhayom.com/2020/01/02/jeffery-epstein-madam-allegedly-in-hiding-in-israel/
""Ghislaine is protected. She and Jeffrey were assets of sorts for multiple foreign governments. They would trade information about the powerful people caught in his net – caught at Epstein’s house," a source told the Post’s Page Six."
Netanyahu and the "strategists" of USA are cowards and bad losers. They could not face Qassem Soleimani on the battle field. By his strategy the defenders of Iraq, Syria and Jemen eliminated all brainwashed cannon fodder, mercenaries and special forces.
Will they change the flow of history after murdering these brave men? Definitely yes, because the successors will look, talk and walk differently, but the vision won't change. The US troops will be expelled from the Middle East and Zionists will be further isolated, up to the point where their strategic value be considered as zero and be also given up by European and American Imperialists and Corporatists. This process will now be accelerated, because this murder have united the people and displayed the danger of US imperial forces in the region.
Absolutely massive crowds on the streets of Mashhad awaiting the arrival of Qassem Suleimani.— Sam (@sonofnariman) January 5, 2020
"We are ready for war." pic.twitter.com/ZK4O8KQB17
Absolutely massive crowd of people took part in funeral procession of #Iranian and #Iraqi commanders in Ahvaz #Soleimani pic.twitter.com/curlgYsRwD— Tasnim News Agency (@Tasnimnews_EN) January 5, 2020
Iranians are gathering for one of the largest funeral processions you will ever see, to honor General Qassem Soleimani, who helped to defeat ISIS — and was then murdered in a criminal US act of war— Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) January 5, 2020
You're not gonna see this in mainstream corporate mediapic.twitter.com/macGiH31eL
Bueatiful picture of Maj.Gen. Qassem #Soleimani in his home.— hadi (@Zolfegar12) January 5, 2020
This humble, valiant, genius hero broke the backbone of ISIS and other terrorist groups in the region and saved millions of lives. #Iran pic.twitter.com/rEU6GkDsDf
Bueatiful picture of Maj.Gen. Qassem #Soleimani in his home.— hadi (@Zolfegar12) January 5, 2020
This humble, valiant, genius hero broke the backbone of ISIS and other terrorist groups in the region and saved millions of lives. #Iran pic.twitter.com/rEU6GkDsDf
Soleimani defeated ISIS & Al-Qaeda in Syria & Iraq, but I see Americans referring to him as a terrorist & openly celebrating his death.— Sameera Khan 🇮🇷 (@SameeraKhan) January 3, 2020
When Americans call the man who defeated terrorism in West Asia a terrorist, they are only revealing that they view all Muslims as terrorists. pic.twitter.com/M6Pckwoi2b
Mossad chief: Iran’s Soleimani ‘knows his assassination is not impossible’Yossi Cohen also claims Israel could eliminate Hezbollah’s Nasrallah — and he knows it; says Israel conducts hits on Hamas officials abroad ‘without hesitation’
By TOI STAFF11 October 2019, 6:21 am
https://www.timesofisrael.com/mossad-chief-says-irans-soleimani-knows-his-assassination-is-not-impossible/
“With all due respect to his bluster, he hasn’t necessarily committed the mistake yet that would place him on the prestigious list of Mossad’s assassination targets,”
“He knows very well that his assassination is not impossible. His actions are identified and felt everywhere… there’s no doubt the infrastructure he built presents a serious challenge for Israel.”
“If there is one target that we eliminate without hesitation, it is Hamas officials abroad. From local agents to those who manage acquisitions of weapons pointed towards Israel.”
Saudis Close to Crown Prince Discussed Killing Other Enemies a Year Before Khashoggi’s Death
By Mark Mazzetti, Ronen Bergman and David D. Kirkpatrick Nov. 11, 2018
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/11/world/middleeast/saudi-iran-assassinations-mohammed-bin-salman.html
"Top Saudi intelligence officials close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman asked a small group of businessmen last year about using private companies to assassinate Iranian enemies of the kingdom, according to three people familiar with the discussions.
The Saudis inquired at a time when Prince Mohammed, then the deputy crown prince and defense minister, was consolidating power and directing his advisers to escalate military and intelligence operations outside the kingdom. Their discussions, more than a year before the killing of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi, indicate that top Saudi officials have considered assassinations since the beginning of Prince Mohammed’s ascent."
The Saudis inquired at a time when Prince Mohammed, then the deputy crown prince and defense minister, was consolidating power and directing his advisers to escalate military and intelligence operations outside the kingdom. Their discussions, more than a year before the killing of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi, indicate that top Saudi officials have considered assassinations since the beginning of Prince Mohammed’s ascent."
"During the March 2017 meeting about the plan to sabotage Iran’s economy, according to the three people familiar with the discussions, the Saudis asked the businessmen whether they also “conducted kinetics” — lethal operations — saying they were interested in killing senior Iranian officials. The businessmen hesitated, saying they would need to consult their lawyer."
"The lawyer flatly rejected the plan, and the businessmen told the Saudis they would not take part in any assassinations. Mr. Nader told the Saudis about a London-based company run by former British special operations troops that might take on the contract. It is unclear which company he suggested."
Minister boasts Israel ‘is the only country in the world killing Iranians’
The explosive comments have sparked uproar in Iran, which itself has previously threatened to “wipe” Israel off the “global map”
Bel Trew Middle East Correspondent @beltrew
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israel-minister-killing-iran-tzachi-hanegbi-stena-impero-gulf-a9014986.html
"The explosive comments by Tzachi Hanegbi, Israel’s Regional Cooperation Minister, sparked a war of words with Iran’s public broadcaster over a weekend where Britain was dragged further into a regional conflict."
"The explosive comments by Tzachi Hanegbi, Israel’s Regional Cooperation Minister, sparked a war of words with Iran’s public broadcaster over a weekend where Britain was dragged further into a regional conflict."
"Mr. Hanegbi, a member of Israel’s ruling Likud Party and the security cabinet, said Israel was the only country taking firm action against Tehran, referencing Israel’s multiple strikes on Iranian positions in Syria."
"“For two years now, Israel has been the only country in the world killing Iranians,” he told Israel’s public broadcaster Kan radio.""“We have beaten the Iranians hundreds of times in Syria. Sometimes we admit it, sometimes foreign publications expose the matter,” he added."
"When asked what would happen if Israel were to “get in trouble with Iran” he said Tehran would be “very limited in their responses”."
"“They understand that Israel means business,” he said, warning that Israel’s bombing campaign in Syria “isn’t over”."
Israel: US Asks Iran to Not Sink an American Carrier, “Just Kill Some Troops Instead” (You just can’t make this stuff up)
Good deal for the US...unless you are one of "the troops"By VT Editors -January 4, 2020
"“For two years now, Israel has been the only country in the world killing Iranians,” he told Israel’s public broadcaster Kan radio.""“We have beaten the Iranians hundreds of times in Syria. Sometimes we admit it, sometimes foreign publications expose the matter,” he added."
"When asked what would happen if Israel were to “get in trouble with Iran” he said Tehran would be “very limited in their responses”."
"“They understand that Israel means business,” he said, warning that Israel’s bombing campaign in Syria “isn’t over”."
Israel: US Asks Iran to Not Sink an American Carrier, “Just Kill Some Troops Instead” (You just can’t make this stuff up)
Good deal for the US...unless you are one of "the troops"By VT Editors -January 4, 2020
Iraqi parliament calls for expulsion of foreign troops
Vote comes after PM Abdul Mahdi recommended Parliament take urgent measures to expel foreign troops from Iraq.
by Arwa Ibrahim, 05.01.2020
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/01/iraqi-parliament-calls-expulsion-foreign-troops-200105150709628.html
Iraq's parliament has passed a resolution calling on the government to expel foreign troops from the country as Iran-US tensions escalate following the killing of a top Iranian military commander and Iraqi armed group leader in a US strike in Baghdad.
In an extraordinary parliamentary session on Sunday, parliament called on the government to end all foreign troop presence in Iraq and to cancel its request for assistance from the US-led coalition which had been working with Baghdad to fight the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
"The government commits to revoke its request for assistance from the international coalition fighting Islamic State due to the end of military operations in Iraq and the achievement of victory," the resolution read.
"The Iraqi government must work to end the presence of any foreign troops on Iraqi soil and prohibit them from using its land, airspace or water for any reason."
Parliament resolutions, unlike laws, are non-binding and the move would require new legislation to cancel the existing agreement.
Ahead of the vote, chants of "No, no, America…long live Iraq", rang out inside the hall, before Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi also called on parliament to end foreign troop presence.
"Despite the internal and external difficulties that we might face, it remains best for Iraq on principle and practically," said Abdul Mahdi in an address to parliament ahead of the vote.
The embattled prime minister stepped down in November amid months-long mass anti-government protests but remains in a caretaker position.
"Iraq has two options", he said, adding that the country can either immediately end the presence of foreign troops on Iraqi sol or reconsider a draft resolution that ties US presence to training Iraqi security forces in the fight against ISIL.
Abdul Mahdi said that the decline of ISIL, which Baghdad declared victory over in December 2017, put an end to the main reason for the presence of US forces in the country.
"It is in the interests of both Iraq and US to end foreign troop presence in country," he said.
Around 5,000 US troops remain in Iraq, most of them in an advisory capacity. US troops fought alongside Iran-backed Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation Forces or PMF) during 2014 - 2017 against Islamic State group.
Baghdad-based analyst Tareq Harb told Al Jazeera that Abdul Mahdi's call to expel US troops in Iraq was in anticipation of a reaction from the mostly pro-Iran groups which demand such a move.
"Abdul Mahdi had no option but to take a strong stance against the presence of US troops in Iraq," Harb told Al Jazeera. "He's been shrewd in taking this position and leaving the decision to parliament."
Response to US strike
The move comes after Iranian Major-General Soleimani and Iraqi paramilitary commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis were killed on Friday near Baghdad's international airport in an air strike ordered by US President Donald Trump.
The attack came just days after hundreds of PMF members and supporters attempted to storm the US embassy in Baghdad, angry at US air attacks against Kataib Hezbollah - a member of the umbrella organisation - positions in Iraq and Syria.
Since the killings, rival Shia political leaders have called for US troops to be expelled from Iraq in an unusual show of unity among factions that have disagreed for months.
Among them was Hadi al-Amiri, the top candidate to succeed Muhandis, who repeated calls for US troops to leave Iraq during a funeral procession on Saturday for those killed in the attack.
Soleimani’s assassination opens new phase for whole Middle East: Hezbollah chief
By News Desk - 2020-01-05
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/soleimanis-assassination-opens-new-phase-for-whole-middle-east-hezbollah-chief/
The assassination of Qassem Soleimani has opened a new phase for the whole region, the leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, has said, calling for attacks on US soldiers and military assets.
The “Iraqi resistance will not let a single US soldier stay in Iraq” after the killing of the Iranian Quds force commander, Nasrallah said in a televised speech on Sunday.
The Hezbollah leader, however, warned against harming any American civilians, as such acts will only play into the hands of US President Donald Trump, adding that every US military asset and serviceman in the region is fair game.
“When the coffins of American soldiers and officers begin to be transported … to the United States, Trump and his administration will realize that they have really lost the region and will lose the elections,” Nasrallah said.
Expulsion of the US from the whole Middle East is a fair price for the murder of Soleimani and other officials, Nasrallah said, issuing a rather grim threat to the US military. The suicide bombers, who had forced America to leave before, are still there – and now they are greater in numbers, he added.
Avenging the deaths of Soleimani and other high-ranking Iranian and Iraqi military officials, including Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), is the responsibility of not only Iran but of all its allies in the region.
The assassination of Qassem Soleimani has opened a new phase for the whole region, the leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, has said, calling for attacks on US soldiers and military assets.
The “Iraqi resistance will not let a single US soldier stay in Iraq” after the killing of the Iranian Quds force commander, Nasrallah said in a televised speech on Sunday.
The Hezbollah leader, however, warned against harming any American civilians, as such acts will only play into the hands of US President Donald Trump, adding that every US military asset and serviceman in the region is fair game.
“When the coffins of American soldiers and officers begin to be transported … to the United States, Trump and his administration will realize that they have really lost the region and will lose the elections,” Nasrallah said.
Expulsion of the US from the whole Middle East is a fair price for the murder of Soleimani and other officials, Nasrallah said, issuing a rather grim threat to the US military. The suicide bombers, who had forced America to leave before, are still there – and now they are greater in numbers, he added.
Avenging the deaths of Soleimani and other high-ranking Iranian and Iraqi military officials, including Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), is the responsibility of not only Iran but of all its allies in the region.
The US unwittingly helped create Qassem Soleimani. Then they killed him.
Scott Ritteris, 3 Jan, 2020 20:50
https://www.rt.com/op-ed/477423-us-soleimani-assassination-consequences/
The US is unprepared for the consequences of its assassination of Qassem Soleimani, if only because it knows nothing about the reality of the man it murdered, and can’t gauge the impact of his death on Iran or the Middle East.
Qassem Soleimani, an Iranian military commander whose paramilitary organization, known as the Quds Force, helped position Iran as a modern regional power, was assassinated on January 3, 2020, on order of the President of the United States, Donald Trump. American political leaders of both major parties have been united in their description of Soleimani as an evil man whose death should be celebrated, even while the consequences of his demise remain unknown.
The celebration of Soleimani’s death, however, is born of an ignorance regarding the events and actions that shaped the work he directed, and which defined the world in which he operated. While the US has cast Soleimani as a byproduct of Iran’s malign intent in the Middle East, the reality is much starker: Soleimani is the direct result of America’s irresponsibly aggressive policies. In a world defined by cause-effect relationships, the link between Soleimani and the United States is undeniable.
Making of an enemy hero
Soleimani gained prominence in Iran during the Iranian Revolution and the eight-year war with Iraq, where his leadership, courage and decisiveness caught the attention of senior Iranian leaders including then-President Ali Khamenei. During this time, Soleimani developed the skillset that would later serve him well as the leader of the Quds Force, the paramilitary organization he helped found in the aftermath of the Iran-Iraq War.
The Quds Force was designed to project Iranian influence through covert means. Soleimani and the Quds Force first came into prominence in 1998, after the Taliban murdered hundreds of Afghan Shi’a and nine Iranians (eight diplomats and a journalist) following the capture of the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i Sharif.
While senior Iranian military leadership advocated a massive punitive expedition into western Afghanistan, Soleimani advised a more constrained response, with his Quds Force providing training and material support to the Northern Alliance, an umbrella group of forces opposed to the Taliban. Soleimani personally directed this effort, transforming the Northern Alliance into an effective fighting force.
After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the US used the Northern Alliance to establish a foothold in Afghanistan and eventually drive the Taliban from power. Soleimani played a major role behind the scenes helping make the US-Northern Alliance partnership viable, including providing operational and intelligence support.
The US-Iranian cooperation was short-lived; President Bush’s designation of Iran as being part of “an Axis of Evil” caused Iran to terminate its cooperation with the Americans.
Training the anti-US Iraq rebels
The US invasion of Iraq in 2003 created another opportunity for Iranian-American cooperation, which the US promptly fumbled. While Iran had no desire for increased American military presence in the region, it found common cause with the US in removing its archenemy, Saddam Hussein, from power.
The Americans, however, were ill-prepared to cope with the reality of a post-Saddam Iraq, especially one where the majority Shi’a population would demand a major role in determining how Iraq would be governed. When the US started turning its guns on Shi’a forces, Soleimani and his Quds Force took the lead in organizing anti-American resistance in Iraq, leading to increasingly violent clashes that resulted in significant American casualties.
Today, many veterans of the US war in Iraq hold Soleimani personally accountable for the hundreds of American soldiers who lost their lives due to the tactics employed by Iraqi militias trained and equipped by Soleimani’s Quds Force.
Mastermind of Tehran’s regional domination plan
Soleimani did not emerge in a vacuum, but rather was the manifestation of the logical response of Iran to external threats brought on by the actions of others. Iran’s role in Lebanon was defined by Israel’s decision to invade and occupy southern Lebanon in 1982; the creation of the Lebanese Hezbollah movement followed.
Iran’s intervention in Syria likewise came on the heels of a massive intervention by outside powers, including the United States, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, to create a resistance designed to remove Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from power. Soleimani’s actions in directing the Quds Force to organize pro-Assad Shi’a militias in Syria was simply a reaction to this foreign intervention in Syria’s sovereign affairs.
Likewise, when the Islamic State erupted on the scene in 2014, it was Soleimani, at the invitation of the Iraqi government, who helped organize and equip various Shi’a militias under the umbrella of the Popular Mobilization Force. Soleimani went on to direct the PMF in a series of bloody battles that helped turn the tide against the Islamic State well before the US became decisively engaged in the fighting. Soleimani played a defining role in shaping the Middle East in the aftermath of 9/11, positioning Iran to become a major power in the region, if not the major power.
Soleimani’s actions in accomplishing this outcome, however, were not part of a master Iranian plan for regional domination, but rather part and parcel of Iran’s ability to react effectively to the mistakes made by the United States and its allies in implementing policies of aggression in the region.
In the aftermath of the US withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear Agreement in 2018, and the subsequent implementation of the so-called “maximum pressure” campaign of economic sanctions and geo-political containment undertaken by the United States, Soleimani cautioned President Trump against embarking down a path toward confrontation.
“You are aware of our power and capabilities in the region”, Soleimani said in a speech delivered in the summer of 2018. “You know how powerful we are in asymmetrical warfare.”
Soleimani’s statements were prophetic; after the US blocked the sale of Iranian oil, Soleimani’s Quds Force responded by orchestrating a series of deniable attacks on oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, and used Houthi proxies in Yemen to launch a devastating attack using armed drones against strategic Saudi oil production facilities.
Recognizing the vulnerability of the US position in Iraq, Soleimani began putting pressure on the Iraqi government to bring an end to the US military presence on Iraqi soil. These activities were underway even before the US bombed the Iraqi Popular Militia Forces last Sunday, setting into motion the events that culminated in Soleimani’s assassination.
Will his death make the world safer?
The reality is that the only thing more dangerous for the US than a world where Qassem Soleimani is living is a one where Qassem Soleimani is dead, murdered on orders of an American President.
Alive, Soleimani would be able to credibly advise patience and caution to an Iranian leadership increasingly pressured by more militant members of the Iranian defense establishment to take a more proactive stance in countering American, Saudi and Israeli policies in the region.
Murdered, Soleimani is transformed into a martyr-hero whose exploits will motivate those who seek to replicate them against an American foe void of the kind of self-constraint and wisdom born of experience.
Far from making the Middle East and the world a safer place to live and work, President Trump’s precipitous assassination of Qassem Soleimani has condemned yet another generation to suffer the tragic consequences of American overreach in the post-9/11 era.
We need to get out of Iraq and Syria now! | Tulsi Gabbard
January 3, 2020
Israel Lauds Suleimani Assassination, Though With Caution
Israeli intelligence had long tracked the Iranian commander whose shadow loomed ever larger and closer.
By Isabel Kershner Jan. 3, 2020
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/03/world/middleeast/israel-soleimani.html
He was also the architect of Iran’s recent entrenchment in Syria and of an ambitious plan to build an Iranian front against Israel across its northern frontier, in the Golan Heights.
After a decades-old shadow war between Israel and Iran fought mostly through proxies or clandestine means, the new proximity brought the arch foes to direct blows.
The US is unprepared for the consequences of its assassination of Qassem Soleimani, if only because it knows nothing about the reality of the man it murdered, and can’t gauge the impact of his death on Iran or the Middle East.
Qassem Soleimani, an Iranian military commander whose paramilitary organization, known as the Quds Force, helped position Iran as a modern regional power, was assassinated on January 3, 2020, on order of the President of the United States, Donald Trump. American political leaders of both major parties have been united in their description of Soleimani as an evil man whose death should be celebrated, even while the consequences of his demise remain unknown.
The celebration of Soleimani’s death, however, is born of an ignorance regarding the events and actions that shaped the work he directed, and which defined the world in which he operated. While the US has cast Soleimani as a byproduct of Iran’s malign intent in the Middle East, the reality is much starker: Soleimani is the direct result of America’s irresponsibly aggressive policies. In a world defined by cause-effect relationships, the link between Soleimani and the United States is undeniable.
Making of an enemy hero
Soleimani gained prominence in Iran during the Iranian Revolution and the eight-year war with Iraq, where his leadership, courage and decisiveness caught the attention of senior Iranian leaders including then-President Ali Khamenei. During this time, Soleimani developed the skillset that would later serve him well as the leader of the Quds Force, the paramilitary organization he helped found in the aftermath of the Iran-Iraq War.
The Quds Force was designed to project Iranian influence through covert means. Soleimani and the Quds Force first came into prominence in 1998, after the Taliban murdered hundreds of Afghan Shi’a and nine Iranians (eight diplomats and a journalist) following the capture of the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i Sharif.
While senior Iranian military leadership advocated a massive punitive expedition into western Afghanistan, Soleimani advised a more constrained response, with his Quds Force providing training and material support to the Northern Alliance, an umbrella group of forces opposed to the Taliban. Soleimani personally directed this effort, transforming the Northern Alliance into an effective fighting force.
After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the US used the Northern Alliance to establish a foothold in Afghanistan and eventually drive the Taliban from power. Soleimani played a major role behind the scenes helping make the US-Northern Alliance partnership viable, including providing operational and intelligence support.
The US-Iranian cooperation was short-lived; President Bush’s designation of Iran as being part of “an Axis of Evil” caused Iran to terminate its cooperation with the Americans.
Training the anti-US Iraq rebels
The US invasion of Iraq in 2003 created another opportunity for Iranian-American cooperation, which the US promptly fumbled. While Iran had no desire for increased American military presence in the region, it found common cause with the US in removing its archenemy, Saddam Hussein, from power.
The Americans, however, were ill-prepared to cope with the reality of a post-Saddam Iraq, especially one where the majority Shi’a population would demand a major role in determining how Iraq would be governed. When the US started turning its guns on Shi’a forces, Soleimani and his Quds Force took the lead in organizing anti-American resistance in Iraq, leading to increasingly violent clashes that resulted in significant American casualties.
Today, many veterans of the US war in Iraq hold Soleimani personally accountable for the hundreds of American soldiers who lost their lives due to the tactics employed by Iraqi militias trained and equipped by Soleimani’s Quds Force.
Mastermind of Tehran’s regional domination plan
Soleimani did not emerge in a vacuum, but rather was the manifestation of the logical response of Iran to external threats brought on by the actions of others. Iran’s role in Lebanon was defined by Israel’s decision to invade and occupy southern Lebanon in 1982; the creation of the Lebanese Hezbollah movement followed.
Iran’s intervention in Syria likewise came on the heels of a massive intervention by outside powers, including the United States, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, to create a resistance designed to remove Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from power. Soleimani’s actions in directing the Quds Force to organize pro-Assad Shi’a militias in Syria was simply a reaction to this foreign intervention in Syria’s sovereign affairs.
Likewise, when the Islamic State erupted on the scene in 2014, it was Soleimani, at the invitation of the Iraqi government, who helped organize and equip various Shi’a militias under the umbrella of the Popular Mobilization Force. Soleimani went on to direct the PMF in a series of bloody battles that helped turn the tide against the Islamic State well before the US became decisively engaged in the fighting. Soleimani played a defining role in shaping the Middle East in the aftermath of 9/11, positioning Iran to become a major power in the region, if not the major power.
Soleimani’s actions in accomplishing this outcome, however, were not part of a master Iranian plan for regional domination, but rather part and parcel of Iran’s ability to react effectively to the mistakes made by the United States and its allies in implementing policies of aggression in the region.
In the aftermath of the US withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear Agreement in 2018, and the subsequent implementation of the so-called “maximum pressure” campaign of economic sanctions and geo-political containment undertaken by the United States, Soleimani cautioned President Trump against embarking down a path toward confrontation.
“You are aware of our power and capabilities in the region”, Soleimani said in a speech delivered in the summer of 2018. “You know how powerful we are in asymmetrical warfare.”
Soleimani’s statements were prophetic; after the US blocked the sale of Iranian oil, Soleimani’s Quds Force responded by orchestrating a series of deniable attacks on oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, and used Houthi proxies in Yemen to launch a devastating attack using armed drones against strategic Saudi oil production facilities.
Recognizing the vulnerability of the US position in Iraq, Soleimani began putting pressure on the Iraqi government to bring an end to the US military presence on Iraqi soil. These activities were underway even before the US bombed the Iraqi Popular Militia Forces last Sunday, setting into motion the events that culminated in Soleimani’s assassination.
Will his death make the world safer?
The reality is that the only thing more dangerous for the US than a world where Qassem Soleimani is living is a one where Qassem Soleimani is dead, murdered on orders of an American President.
Alive, Soleimani would be able to credibly advise patience and caution to an Iranian leadership increasingly pressured by more militant members of the Iranian defense establishment to take a more proactive stance in countering American, Saudi and Israeli policies in the region.
Murdered, Soleimani is transformed into a martyr-hero whose exploits will motivate those who seek to replicate them against an American foe void of the kind of self-constraint and wisdom born of experience.
Far from making the Middle East and the world a safer place to live and work, President Trump’s precipitous assassination of Qassem Soleimani has condemned yet another generation to suffer the tragic consequences of American overreach in the post-9/11 era.
We need to get out of Iraq and Syria now! | Tulsi Gabbard
January 3, 2020
Israel Lauds Suleimani Assassination, Though With Caution
Israeli intelligence had long tracked the Iranian commander whose shadow loomed ever larger and closer.
By Isabel Kershner Jan. 3, 2020
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/03/world/middleeast/israel-soleimani.html
He was also the architect of Iran’s recent entrenchment in Syria and of an ambitious plan to build an Iranian front against Israel across its northern frontier, in the Golan Heights.
After a decades-old shadow war between Israel and Iran fought mostly through proxies or clandestine means, the new proximity brought the arch foes to direct blows.
Why Obama, Bush, and Bibi All Passed on Killing Soleimani
The Iranian general was in American crosshairs before. But nobody could begin to be sure what would come next if Soleimani were killed, and no scenario looked good.
Christopher Dickey, Noga Tarnopolsky, Erin Banco, Betsy Swan
Updated Jan. 03, 2020 5:36PM ET / Published Jan. 03, 2020 4:59PM ET
Speaking to Iranian television last year, the head of the élite Quds Force of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed that Israeli aircraft targeted him and Lebanese Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in 2006, while Soleimani commanded forces in Beirut during the Second Lebanon War.
“Israeli spy planes were constantly flying overhead,” he said as he began his war story.
Hezbollah, an Iranian backed militia, had its situation room in the heart of Dahiyeh, a Beirut neighborhood, and the Israelis were “watching every movement,” Soleimani said.
Then late one night, he and Imad Mughniyeh, Hezbollah’s most notorious terrorist operative, decided to remove Nasrallah to safety in a separate building. Shortly after their arrival, two Israeli bombardments struck nearby, he said.
“We felt that these two bombings were about to be followed by a third one… so we decided to get out of that building. We didn’t have a car, and there was complete silence, just the Israeli régime planes overflying Dahiyeh,” he recalled.
Soleimani said he hid under a tree with Nasrallah from what appeared to be heat-seeking drones while Mughniyeh went in search of a car. Afraid the car was also being tracked, they eventually switched cars in an underground garage, supposedly confounding the Israelis.
Mughniyeh’s luck did not last long. He was blown up in Damascus in 2008 in an operation later attributed jointly to the CIA and Israel’s Mossad.
An Israeli military officer with knowledge of Israel’s Iran preparedness told The Daily Beast that when the Americans took out Soleimani this week, “It wasn’t a surprise, not really.”
The officer, who spoke without attribution because he was not authorized to speak with the media, said there had been previous Israeli and American efforts to eliminate Soleimani, though it wasn’t clear to what extent the plans had advanced.
The Obama administration “asked us not to proceed,” he said. “It was clear the implications could be much greater than a localized war, the repercussions could affect the whole world.”
This time around, “We’re not involved in the American operation,” said the Israeli officer. “But the Iranians always put us together, the big Satan and the little Satan. You see people on the streets screaming death to America and death to Israel. Could we potentially get hit? Of course. We are secondary, seen as a proxy for the United States.”
After Mossad Targeted Soleimani, Trump Pulled the Triggerby
JEFFERSON MORLEY, JANUARY 3, 2020
Last October Yossi Cohen, head of Israel’s Mossad, spoke openly about assassinating Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, the head of the elite Quds Force in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“He knows very well that his assassination is not impossible,” Cohen said in an interview. Soleimani had boasted that the Israel’s tried to assassinate him in 2006 and failed.
“With all due respect to his bluster,” Cohen said, “he hasn’t necessarily committed the mistake yet that would place him on the prestigious list of Mossad’s assassination targets.”
“Is Israel Targeting Iran’s Top General for Assassination?” I asked on October 24. On Thursday, Soleimani was killed in an air strike ordered by President Trump.
Soleimani’s convoy was struck by U.S. missiles as he left a meeting at Baghdad’s airport amid anti-Iranian and anti-American demonstrations in Iraq. Supporters of an Iranian-backed militia had agreed to withdraw from the U.S. diplomatic compound in return for a promise that the government would allow a parliamentary vote on expelling 5,000 U.S. troops from the country.
The Pentagon confirmed the military operation, which came “at the direction of the president” and was “aimed at deterring future Iranian attack plans.” The Pentagon claimed in a statement that Gen. Soleimani was “actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region.”
Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, under indictment for criminal charges, was the first and only national leader to support Trump’s action, while claiming that that Trump acted entirely on his own.
“Just as Israel has the right to self-defense, the United States has exactly the same right,” Netanyahu told reporters in Greece. “Qassem Soleimani is responsible for the deaths of American citizens and other innocents, and he was planning more attacks.”
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani vowed retaliation for the general’s death, tweeting that “Iran will take revenge for this heinous crime.”
Capable Foe
"Soleimani was the most capable foe of the United States and Israel in the region. As chief of the Al-Quds force, Soleimani was a master of Iran’s asymmetric warfare strategy, using proxy forces to bleed Iran’s enemies, while preserving the government’s ability to plausibly deny involvement."
After the U.S. invasions of Iraq, he funded and trained anti-American militias that launched low-level attacks on U.S. occupation forces, killing upward of 600 U.S. servicemen and generating pressure for U.S. withdrawal.
"In recent years, Soleimani led two successful Iranian military operations: the campaign to drive ISIS out of western Iraq in 2015 and the campaign to crush the jihadist forces opposed to Syria’s Bashar al-Assad. The United States and Israel denounced Iran’s role in both operations but could not prevent Iran from claiming victory."
Soleimani had assumed a leading role in Iraqi politics in the past year. The anti-ISIS campaign relied on Iraqi militias, which the Iranians supported with money, weapons, and training. After ISIS was defeated, these militia maintained a prominent role in Iraq that many resented, leading to demonstrations and rioting. Soleimani was seeking to stabilize the government and channel the protests against the United States when he was killed.
"In the same period, Israel pursued its program of targeted assassination. In the past decade Mossad assassinated at least five Iranian nuclear scientists, according to Israeli journalist Ronen Bergman, in an effort to thwart Iran’s nuclear program. Yossi Melman, another Israeli journalist, says that Mossad has assassinated 60-70 enemies outside of its borders since its founding in 1947, though none as prominent as Soleimani."
"Israel also began striking at the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq last year. The United States did the same on December 29, killing 19 fighters and prompting anti-American demonstrations as big as the anti-Iranian demonstrations of a month ago."
"Now the killing of Soleimani promises more unrest, if not open war. The idea that it will deter Iranian attacks is foolish."
"“This doesn’t mean war,” wrote former Defense Department official Andrew Exum, “It will not lead to war, and it doesn’t risk war. None of that. It is war.“"
"The Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida reported a year ago that Washington had given Israel the green light to assassinate Soleimani. Al-Jarida, which in recent years has broken exclusive stories from Israel, quoted a source in Jerusalem as saying that “there is an American-Israeli agreement” that Soleimani is a “threat to the two countries’ interests in the region.” It is generally assumed in the Arab world that the paper is used as an Israeli platform for conveying messages to other countries in the Middle East."
"Trump has now fulfilled the wishes of Mossad. After proclaiming his intention to end America’s “stupid endless wars,” the president has effectively declared war on the largest country in the region in solidarity with Israel, the most unpopular country in the Middle East."
Israelis Wonder If Iran Will Avenge Soleimani Killing By Attacking Israel
January 3, 20204:11 PM ET, DANIEL ESTRIN
"ESTRIN: ... Israel has been pushing the U.S. to act more forcefully against Iran. But Israel also hopes not to take the blame for any military action against Iran."
"ESTRIN: Former Israeli military intelligence head Amos Yadlin tweeted that he doesn't think Israel is at the top of Iran's list of targets for revenge. He thinks U.S. positions in Iraq are an easier target, as are the Saudis. And he says Israel has shown in the past it would respond forcefully to any Iranian attack."
War with Iran! Are you kidding me? says Dennis KucinichDec 10, 2011
Mossad-CIA CooperationEphraim Kahana, Pages 409-420 | Published online: 29 Oct 2010https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08850600152386873
'Terrorizing the Populace': Report Finds CIA-Backed Death Squads in Afghanistan Committing War Crimes, Atrocities
"The CIA has enabled abusive Afghan forces to commit atrocities including extrajudicial executions and disappearances."Published on Thursday, October 31, 2019 by Common Dreams, wirtten by Eoin Higgins
CIA-backed death squads in Afghanistan have committed a number of human rights violations over the last year, a Human Rights Watch report found Thursday, and the militant groups are likely to be the lasting legacy of the U.S. war in the country.
"These are not isolated cases."
—Patricia Grossman, Human Rights Watch
"They do counterinsurgency the old-fashioned way," tweeted Daily Beast national security reporter Spencer Ackerman, "terrorizing the populace."
The HRW report reviewed cases of abuse from late 2017 to the middle of 2019 in Afghanistan, interviewing 39 Afghans and a number of rights groups in the country. The group found a pattern of extreme violence from the CIA-trained and backed death squads:
These strike forces have unlawfully killed civilians during night raids, forcibly disappeared detainees, and attacked healthcare facilities for allegedly treating insurgent fighters. Civilian casualties from these raids and air operations have dramatically increased in the last two years.
In a statement, HRW associate Asia director Patricia Grossman—who was the report's lead author—said that the CIA, through backing the militant groups, had "consigned entire communities to the terror of abusive night raids and indiscriminate airstrikes."
"These are not isolated cases but illustrative of a larger pattern of serious laws-of-war violations—and even war crimes—by these paramilitary forces," Grossman added.
Soleimani was to deliver Tehran's reply to Saudi de-escalation letter when killed: Iraqi PM
Sunday, 05 January 2020 11:20 PM
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/01/05/615466/Soleimani-reply-to-Saudi-letter
Among the atrocities detailed in the report are a number of mass killings. In October 2018, paramilitary forces murdered "five civilian members of one family, including an elderly woman and child" in Nangharhar province. Just two months later, in December, a group to the south in Paktia province raided a village and killed six civilians.
CIA press secretary Timothy Barrett told The Guardian that the organization "conducts its global operations in accordance with law and under a robust system of oversight."
Survivors of CIA-backed paramilitary violence tell a different story:
According to witnesses, on 11 August this year troops from one of these CIA-backed units—which, the witnesses said, was accompanied by at least one U.S. soldier and a translator—served as judge, jury and executioner for 11 men in Kulgago village.
Four were executed in the family compound of Dr. Ulfatullah, a pharmacist who lost two sons and two cousins, and has moved his family to Kabul to campaign for justice. "The blood of our sons is still in the rooms where they were killed so it's difficult for us to live there," he told The Guardian in the Afghan capital.
John Sifton, HRW's Asia advocacy director, said in an interview with The Daily Beast's Ackerman that things don't have to be this way.
"There isn't a rule written somewhere at Langley that says the CIA can only train and fund militias that commit atrocities," said Sifton. "The CIA could have used its funding and leverage to insist that militias working with it follow the rules of law."
Iraq's Caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi has said that Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani was set to deliver Tehran's reply to an earlier Saudi message regarding de-escalation talks mediated by Baghdad when he was assassinated.
Abdul-Mahdi made the remarks during an extraordinary parliamentary session in the capital which led to the adoption of a law demanding the withdrawal of US forces from the country on Sunday, the National Iraqi News Agency reported.
The premier said that he was due to meet Soleimani at 8:30 am local time on Friday before the US assassinated the general a few hours earlier.
The revelations come as Baghdad has been mediating talks between Tehran and Riyadh following a recent uptick of tensions the region.
Sunday's parliamentary vote was held in response to Washington's Friday airstrikes targeting Soleimani and his comrades.
Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) was also killed in the attack.
Iran's judiciary has said that the attack took place despite Soleimani being a "formal" and "high profile" guest of the Iraqi government.
The Sunday vote comes as many Iraqi figures and parliamentary factions have been long demanding the withdrawal of US troops from the country, specifically following a series of unclaimed airstrikes on PMU forces.
Abdul-Mahdi also revealed in his Sunday remarks that Washington had confirmed to Baghdad that Tel Aviv was behind a number of the attacks.
"America informed us that Israel bombed the warehouses of the PMU last summer," he said, calling on the parliament to take all measures to end the presence of foreign forces in Iraq.
Rockets rock Baghdad's Green Zone
Also on Sunday, the Iraqi military reported that three Katyusha rockets fell in Baghdad, two of which landed inside the capital's heavily fortified Green Zone housing government buildings and foreign missions.
Witnesses told AFP that the rockets had landed close to the US embassy without further elaborating on probable casualties.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
Netanyahu drops clanger, calls Israel ‘nuclear power’
Sunday, 05 January 2020 6:55 PM
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/01/05/615461/Israel-Benjamin-Netanyahu-nuclear-power
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has, in an apparent stumble, called the occupying entity a “nuclear power” before correcting himself with a bashful nod and an embarrassed smile.
Netanyahu made the terrible blunder in a cabinet meeting on Sunday, while reading Hebrew notes on a deal with Greece and Cyprus on a subsea gas pipeline.
"The significance of this project is that we are turning Israel into a nuclear power," he said, before swiftly correcting himself to say "energy power."
The Israeli premier then paused for a while, acknowledging his mistake with a smile, and then continued with his comments.
The apparent tongue slip from Netanyahu quickly proliferated on Israeli social media.
Israel is the only possessor of nuclear weapons in the Middle East, but its policy is to neither confirm nor deny having atomic arms.
Jimmy Carter, a former president of the United States, and various high-profile newspaper and media reports have, however, verified the regime’s ownership of the non-conventional arms. Estimates show that the regime is currently in possession of 200 to 400 atomic warheads.
The regime is also believed to possess the capability to deliver its nuclear warheads in a number of methods, including by aircraft, on submarine-launched cruise missiles, and the Jericho series of intermediate to intercontinental range ballistic missiles.
The United States, Israel’s most dedicated and biggest ally, has invariably cast its veto against the United Nations’ measures seeking to hold the regime to account for its various grave actions, including its refusal to join the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Trump threatens to hit Iraq with sanctions ‘like they’ve never seen before’
By News Desk - 2020-01-06
Iraq should brace itself for sanctions that’ll make the ones placed on Iran look pale in comparison if it kicks out the US troops without first covering the costs the US spent on its airbase there, US President Donald Trump said.
“We have a very extraordinarily expensive air base that’s there. It cost billions of dollars to build, long before my time. We’re not leaving unless they pay us back for it,” Trump told reporters on board of the Air Force One on Sunday.
The punitive measures that the US is ready to slap on its supposed ally in the fight against the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) will be even harsher than the crippling sanctions already in effect against Tehran, the US leader said.
“If they do ask us to leave, if we don’t do it in a very friendly basis, we will charge them sanctions like they’ve never seen before ever. It’ll make Iranian sanctions look somewhat tame.”
Trump’s dire warning to Iraq comes after Iraqi MPs passed a non-binding resolution, championed by the country’s caretaker prime minister, and asking the Iraqi government to expel foreign troops by cancelling a request for military assistance from the US-led coalition.
The resolution, adopted earlier on Sunday, envisions that some of the foreign troops might still stay in Iraq for training purposes, but the number of foreign instructors deemed necessary should be reported back by the Iraqi authorities.
‘We are not allowed to touch Iran’s cultural sites? Does not work that way’
As he was unleashing his fiery tirade, Trump doubled down on his threat to wipe out Iranian cultural sites in a retaliation for potential future attacks from Tehran, which vowed to avenge the assassination of its top general, Qassem Soleimani, by the US.
Accusing Iran of “torturing” and “maiming” American soldiers in suicide attacks and by planting roadside bombs, Trump suggested the attacks on the US troops justify a potential war crime – the destruction of a nation’s cultural heritage.
“They’re allowed to kill our people. They’re allowed to torture and maim our people. They’re allowed to use roadside bombs and blow up our people. And we’re not allowed to touch their cultural site? It doesn’t work that way.”
Trump’s statement on Saturday that the US might fire upon 52 Iranian sites, important to the Islamic Republic’s people and its culture, has courted controversy in the US with many of the Trump administration’s critics noting that Washington would mimic the methods of its declared adversary – Islamic State terrorists – notorious for damaging and destroying globally-significant cultural sites in Syria and Iraq.
Tensions between the US and Iran have been mounting ever since a series of US airstrikes against Shia Kataib Hezbollah militia in Syria and Iraq on December 29 killed at least 25 fighters, triggering a siege of the US Embassy in Baghdad that saw demonstrators chanting “Death to America” and setting checkpoints on fire.
The US pinned the blame on the showdown at its diplomatic compound on Tehran and its “proxies.” On Thursday, the US launched a drone strike at a convoy travelling near Baghdad Airport, killing Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander – Qassem Soleimani – along with a dozen other senior Iraqi militia leaders.
The murder of Soleimani, who played a key role in the fight against IS in Syria and Iraq, has drawn outrage across Iran and Iraq, with Tehran vowing to avenge the assassination, calling it “an act of international terrorism.” Washington, meanwhile, insists that Soleimani was the mastermind behind a spate of attacks on American personal, including at the US Embassy, and says he was plotting new assaults.
Iran holds all the cards in coming Middle East conflict with US - unless Trump is ready to drop a tactical NUKE
Scott Ritter, 6 Jan, 2020 12:04 / Updated 1 hour ago
https://www.rt.com/op-ed/477558-iran-trump-nuclear-fordow/
Iran has promised retaliation for the assassination of Qassem Suleimani. Donald Trump said this will lead to a disproportionate response from the US. One side can deliver on its threats, the other can’t, unless it goes nuclear.
Iran means business
“Our reaction,” Iranian general Hossein Dehghan said at the weekend, “will be wise, well considered and, in time, with decisive deterrent effect.”
Dehghan also noted that Iran was not seeking a wider confrontation with the US.
“It was America that has started the war. Therefore, they should accept appropriate reactions to their actions. The only thing that can end this period of war is for the Americans to receive a blow that is equal to the blow they have inflicted.”
Dehghan is no run-of-the-mill former Iranian general officer, but was one of the major decision makers within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) during the Iran-Iraq War, and later went on to command the IRGC Air Force, before eventually being appointed Iran’s minister of defense. After stepping down from that position, Dehghan became a special advisor to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic Ali Khamenei.
His words must be viewed as representing those of Khamenei himself.
Iran’s three likely targets
A closer assessment of Dehghan’s statement, when considered in the context of the vote by the Iraqi Parliament this Sunday to remove all foreign troops from Iraq, provides clarity as to what the US and the Middle East can expect from Tehran.
First and foremost, the response will not be carried out by proxy.
The attack will be military in nature. Assaults on the oil and gas infrastructure of America’s Gulf Arab allies, similar in nature to the drone attacks on Saudi oil production facilities last May, are not in the works. The same holds true for shipping transiting the strategic Strait of Hormuz, as well as US diplomatic facilities in the region.
Likewise, Iran must respect the will of the Iraqi Parliament regarding the operation of foreign troops on its soil, which means that the response will most probably not be conducted against US military forces currently stationed in Iraq.
This does not mean US troops and facilities in Iraq will be immune to attack; Khaitab Hezbollah, the Iraqi militia whose leader, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, was killed in the same attack that took Qassem Suleimani’s life, have pledged their own retaliatory attacks separate from those promised by Iran.
There are a host of viable US military targets in the Persian Gulf region that are of high enough stature as to qualify as “an equal blow” in the eyes of Tehran.
Three come to mind; the concentration of US forces based in Kuwait, the headquarters of the 5th Fleet in Bahrain, and the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
Of these three, only one, Al Udeid Air Base, has a direct connection to the Suleimani assassination; the drones that fired the missiles that killed Suleimani were operated from there. Al Udeid is host to critical US command and control facilities, as well as the bulk of the American combat aircraft operating in the region. It is well within the range of Iranian ballistic missiles and armed drones, which could be expected to operate in concert with one another to defeat air defenses and then saturate the base with precision strikes which could destroy hundreds of millions of dollars of aircraft and equipment, and potentially kill and wound hundreds of US service members.
Trump’s all tweets, no capacity
President Trump has promised that the US will not tolerate any attack against its personnel or facilities. “If they do anything,” he told reporters, referring to Iran, “there will be major retaliation.”
Earlier, Trump had tweeted a very explicit warning, telling Iran that he had already designated some 52 sites inside Iran, “some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture,” for destruction. “[T]hose targets,” Trump declared, “and Iran itself, WILL BE HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD. The USA wants no more threats!”
Trump’s threat, however, rings hollow. First, his tweet constitutes de facto evidence of a war crime (Section 5.16.2 of the US Department of Defense Law of War Manual prohibits threats to destroy cultural objects for the express purpose of deterring enemy operations), and as such would likely not be implemented by US military commanders for whom niceties such as the law of war, which forbids the execution of an unlawful order, are serious business.
Of more relevance, however, is the fact that Trump has been down this road before, when he threatened massive military retaliation against Iran for shooting down an unarmed drone over the Strait of Hormuz last May. At that time, he was informed by his military commanders that the US lacked the military wherewithal to counter what was expected to be a full-spectrum response by Iran if the US were to attack targets inside Iran.
In short, Iran was able to inflict massive harm on US and allied targets in the Middle East region, and there was nothing the US could do to prevent this outcome.
Little has changed since May that would alter the military balance of power between the US and Iran. If Iran were to strike a US facility such as the Al Udeid Air Base, and Trump were to order a response, then Iran would most likely unleash the totality of its military capability, and those of its regional proxies, to devastate the military and economic capabilities of those targeted. These strikes would most likely include oil production facilities in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, in addition to US military facilities and diplomatic missions.
Seen in this light, Trump’s threats of retaliation appear to be little more than words that cannot be backed up by reality.
Pushing the red button for Fordow
However, there was a second significant development in the region on Sunday, in addition to the vote by the Iraqi Parliament to cut ties with the US military.
The Iranian government announced that it was ending all restrictions on the enrichment of uranium, in effect nullifying the Iran nuclear agreement (the Joint Comprehensive Program of Action, or JCPOA), which the US withdrew from in May 2018. While Iran has stated that these measures were reversible if the US returned to the agreement, the newly unconstrained enrichment capability puts Iran well inside the one year “breakout” window (i.e. the time needed by Iran to produce enough fissile material for a single nuclear device) of one year that underpinned the prime purpose of the JCPOA.
In doing so, Iran has inadvertently opened itself up to a preemptive nuclear attack by the US.
The centrifuges that could be used by Iran to produce enriched uranium capable of being used in a fissile device are housed in a hardened underground facility located near the town of Fordow. No conventional munition currently in the US arsenal can destroy Fordow.
Only a modified B-61 nuclear bomb can do the job.
Trump has hinted that any future war with Iran would not be a drawn-out affair. And while the law of war might curtail his commanders from executing any retaliation that includes cultural sites, it does not prohibit the US from using a nuclear weapon against a known nuclear facility deemed to pose a threat to national security.
This is the worst-case scenario of any tit-for-tat retaliation between Iran and the US, and it is not as far-fetched as one might believe.
WATCH Terrifying moment Iran unveils red flag at Mosque warning of severe battle to come
IRAN has issued a terrifying warning to the US as it raised a red flag over the Holy Dome Jamkarān Mosque as a symbol of a severe battle to come.
By GERRARD KAONGA, 00:07, Mon, Jan 6, 2020
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1223958/Iran-US-red-flag-Qassem-Soleimani-world-war-3-ww3-Donald-Trump-Jamkaran-Mosque
‘Remove America from the region’: New head of Iran’s Quds Force promises to avenge Soleimani’s killing#BREAKING: #IRGC Quds Force raised Red Flag of Jihad over Dome Of Jamkarān Mosque near #Qom as a message for its readiness to carry-out terror attacks across the world in revenge of #Soleimani's death. Ayatollahs say their Imam Mehdi is hiding in the water well of this mosque! pic.twitter.com/oDgppL0Kf4— Babak Taghvaee (@BabakTaghvaee) January 4, 2020
6 Jan, 2020 06:34
https://www.rt.com/news/477542-iran-remove-us-mideast-soleimani/
Tehran will avenge the assassination of Qassem Soleimani by driving the US out of the region, his successor said shortly after another Revolutionary Guard commander warned that dozens of American targets are “within our reach.”
“We promise to continue martyr Soleimani’s path with the same force... and the only compensation for us would be to remove America from the region,” Esmail Qaani said on Monday in an interview to local media ahead of the general’s funeral in Tehran.
1 READ MORE: Iraqi parliament passes resolution asking government to cancel request for assistance from US-led coalition
Qaani was appointed new leader of the Quds Force – the secretive arm of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – on January 3. His comments come just days after General Gholamali Abuhamzeh, who heads the IRGC in Iran’s southern Kerman province, said 35 US targets in the region as well as Tel Aviv were identified “long ago” and are “within our reach.”
Washington responded with a similarly-worded message, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo threatening “lawful strikes” targeting “actual decision makers” if any American asset is in danger.
As the war of words escalated, the Pentagon ordered 3,000 troops into the region. Meanwhile, Iraq’s parliament passed a resolution calling for the removal of foreign troops from the country.
Quds Force commander General Soleimani was assassinated in a targeted US drone strike near Baghdad International Airport. His car was hit when local allies from Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) were driving him from the airport. After days of mourning, he will be buried in his hometown, Kerman on Tuesday.
In a Slip of the Tongue Netanyahu Calls Israel 'Nuclear Power'
Published 5 January 2020
https://www.telesurenglish.net//news/In-a-Slip-of-the-Tongue-Netanyahu-Calls-Israel-Nuclear-Power-20200105-0009.html
https://www.telesurenglish.net//news/In-a-Slip-of-the-Tongue-Netanyahu-Calls-Israel-Nuclear-Power-20200105-0009.html
“The significance of this project is that we are turning Israel into nuclear power,” Netanyahu said before he rectified himself to say “energy power”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unintentionally described Sunday Israel as a “nuclear power” before immediately correcting himself with a bashful nod and an embarrassed smile, as Israel has never acknowledged nor refuted the existence of a nuclear program.
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Netanyahu’s apparent slip of the tongue happened at a weekly cabinet meeting while he was talking about an undersea gas pipeline agreement signed by the Jewish state with Greece and Cyprus, in preparation for the construction of the EastMed, a project designed to start selling Israeli natural gas to Europe by 2025.
“The significance of this project is that we are turning Israel into nuclear power,” the PM said before he quickly rectified himself to say “energy power”. The rare blooper, from one of Israel’s most prominent leaders, rapidly spread on social media.
Although Israel has never acknowledged nor refuted the existence of a nuclear program, the country is broadly believed to be in the possession of atomic arsenal. However, it has always maintained a policy of ambiguity on the issue.
According to Israel's Atomic Energy Commission, there are two nuclear reactors in Israel, the one at the Soreq Nuclear Research Centre, which functions under the caution of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and the other one at the Negev Nuclear Research Centre which is not under the supervision of the IAEA.
Following two inconclusive elections in April and September, Netanyahu who was indicted in November on corruption charges is currently fighting for his political future in a vote -the third in less than a year- scheduled for March 2.
Iraq allegedly restricts US Coalition movements inside Iraqi territory: report
By News Desk -2020-01-060
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/iraq-restricts-us-coalition-movements-inside-iraqi-territory/
Iraq has restricted the movement of the international coalition’s forces as part of preparing a mechanism of the foreign troop pullout from the country, the Al Mavasin TV Channel reported on Monday, citing spokesman for the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces Abdul Karim Khalaf.
“The Iraqi authorities have prepared a mechanism of the US troop’s withdrawal from the country’s territory,” he said. “The functions of the international coalition will be limited only to the consulting role, the delivery of armament and the training [of Iraqi forces] while its armed forces will leave,” he said.
The spokesman’s statement comes in the wake of a US airstrike against Baghdad Airport, which killed Commander of the Quds Force from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (the elite wing of the Iranian military) General Qassem Soleimani along with several officials from the Iraqi militias.
“The government has restricted the actions of the international forces both on land and in the air,” Khalaf said. “Now they are prohibited to carry out any movements,” he added.
According to him, the US carried out some operations without the knowledge of the Armed Forces’ Main Command.
“The recent US strikes are a stupid thing that cannot be reconciled with,” he stressed, pointing out that during the US bombing attack, Commander of the Quds Special Operations Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Qasem Soleimani was “a guest of Iraq on whom no attack must be carried out.”
“The presence of Soleimani was an internal affair of Iraq,” the spokesman said.
Breaking: US Army informs Iraq about withdrawal plans
By News Desk -2020-01-060
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/breaking-us-army-informs-iraq-about-withdrawal-plans/
BEIRUT, LEBANON (9:40 P.M.) – The U.S. Army has allegedly informed the Iraqi authorities about its plans to withdrawal from the country, the AFP News Agency reported this evening, citing an official letter.
Neither Iraq nor the United States have yet to confirm this report; however, if true, this move could mark the first time in nearly 17 years that the U.S. has no military presence inside the Middle Eastern nation.
Last Friday, the U.S. assassinated the commander of Iran’s Quds Force Major-General Qassem Soleimani and the Deputy Commander of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (Hashd Al-Sha’abi) Abu Mahdi Al-Mohandes while they were traveling from the Baghdad International Airport.
These assassinations sparked outrage in Iraq, as the attacks were done without Baghdad’s consent.
On Sunday, the Iraqi Parliament voted in favor of a resolution demanding the withdrawal all foreign forces from the country.
U.S. President Donald Trump responded to the Iraqi Parliament’s decision by stating that Iraq would have to pay back the U.S. before they would depart.
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