Iran has retaliated for the killing of Soleimani and struck two US bases in Iraq with several missiles. Initial US reports suggest that the attack caused no American casualties. Nonetheless, the world is spellbound by how Washington will react.

In any case, the Iranian retaliatory attack on US soldiers in Iraq fuel fears of further escalation and a possible new war in the Middle East. The Pentagon confirmed attacks on the US bases Ain al-Assad west of Baghdad and in northern Erbil on Wednesday night.

After the attacks, CNN and Fox News first announce that President Trump would likely address the nation in the later hours. Instead, Trump responded via Twitter writing, “All is well!” while also announcing a statement for Wednesday morning. Potential victims and damages were currently being assessed, he added. And: “We have the most powerful and well-equipped military anywhere in the world, by far!”.

Meanwhile, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards stated that “Operation Martyr Soleimani” had obliterated the Ain al-Assad airbase with 35 missiles. The attack with ballistic missiles on the “base occupied by the Americans was a complete success in every respect.” Moreover, Iranian state television reported, contrary to the US’ statements, 80 “American terrorists” were killed in the attack.

Around 5,000 US soldiers are stationed in several bases in Iraq, leading the international military alliance against the terrorist militia “Islamic State.” “These bases have been on high alert for signs of planned attacks by the Iranian regime on our troops and interests in the region,” the US Department of Defense commented.

The Iranian government’s first official statement after the attacks came from Foreign Minister Zarif, who stated that Iran was not striving for escalation or war but will defend itself “against aggression.”. Iran had “taken and completed proportionate self-defense measures” under Article 51 of the UN Charta.

Iran’s leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei went one step further and referred to the attacks as a “slap in the face” for the United States. Moreover, the US troops would have to leave the region, as their presence is the source of corruption, but because the United States was “the enemy of Iran.”

Meanwhile, the Revolutionary Guard warned the “great Satan” USA of conducting counterattacks. Every US response would be answered with a stricter response, which could also include attacks on Israel, a spokesman of Khamenei stated. In addition, US allies should know that their bases, which are made available to the Americans, could also be targeted by Iranian attacks if attacks on Iran were carried out from there. The United States should withdraw its troops so that their lives are not endangered.

It remains to be seen to what degree Iran’s statements and figures, and indeed perhaps the whole attack, are simply propaganda measures. Clarity on it will likely be provided once President Trump addresses the public today. However, the US media stands by its reporting that there were no casualties on the part of the United States and that Iran fired “only” twelve missiles.

The likelihood of a calculated propaganda attack by Teheran will increase if initial US reports on casualties are accurate, based on the locations Iran targetted. Al-Assad and Erbil host significantly fewer US soldiers than, for instance, Balad, which is in even closer proximity to Iran and arguably easier to hit. Thus one can assume that if Iran wanted to cause maximum damage, it could very likely have attacked a different base. Whether or not this is the case and Iran’s attempt to save face without starting an all-out war will likely be answered over these next hours.

Nonetheless, the fact that, unlike in the past, Iran has not used proxies, but conducted the attacks directly has established a new level of escalation.

Whatever facts and statements will transpire from Washington, this will be President Trump’s biggest test as Command in Chief. His reaction today will not only decide war and peace but probably his presidency.

L'articolo Iran Attacks The United States proviene da InsideOver.

This past weekend’s attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil refineries has deepened tensions in the region. In response to their on-going war with the Saudis, the Houthi rebels of Yemen have announced responsibility. But it sounds as though no one is listening to the Houthi. The blame is being almost entirely attributed to the Houthi supporters, Iran.

Whether it was the Houthi using Iranian drones and missiles or if it was Iran acting on their behalf is the subject of much debate. Having been embroiled in a war with Saudi Arabia since 2015, it’s thought that the Houthi rebels have missiles that could “sink a Navy warship.” 

In 2015, shortly after the conflict began, Yemeni sailors used recovered missiles to fire on the Saudi-led coalition. If one is to believe official reports from the Houthi controlled Yemeni capital of Sana’a, an attack from October of 2015 “destroyed” Saudi navy tanker Yunbou. 

Shortly after, pro-Houthi rebels targeted either the Saudi tanker Boraida or the Egyptian navy warship identified as Al Mahrousa. According to The National Interest, “neither the Yunbou nor Boraida was damaged” and the Al Mahrousa was a century and a half-year-old presidential yacht that hasn’t been “anywhere near Yemen in years.” While there is no doubt the rebels have artillery, the degree of candour during wartime is suspect.

The Saudis and Americans aren’t buying that it was the Houthi acting alone. Since the attack on their oil facilities on 14 September, both countries have become increasingly confident it was Iranian based. They claim that the Iranians launched a “complex missile and drone attack” from the southern part of Iran.

In defence of the Saudis, President Donald Trump said that the US was “locked and loaded” and prepared to go to war with Iran. Absent of a smoking gun that indicts the Iranians, the presidents’ comments did nothing more than agitate the already strained relationship between the US and Iran.

It’s worth noting that this is now the second time President Trump has threatened war with Iran since July. 

According to National Public Radio in America, US Defense Department officials have said they have satellite imagery detecting Iran readying drones and missiles. The department has not yet provided the satellite photos. The officials do point out that the imagery and activity are just “circumstantial evidence” that the strike originated in Iran. Because it’s believed that the drones and missiles used for the attack were more intricate than initially thought this strongly suggests Iranian involvement.

Without any empirical evidence, and taking its lead from the top, the US has beefed up its rhetoric. US Energy Secretary Rick Perry said, “The United States wholeheartedly condemns Iran’s attacks on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and we call on other nations to do the same.” In a briefing on Capitol Hill, President Trump’s special representative for Iran, Brian Hook, said that this attack was Saudi Arabia’s “9/11”. And after landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asserted that Saturday’s incident was indeed an “Iranian attack.” Then he doubled down on the bombast by calling it an “act of war.”

However, unlike the US, England has not gone so far as to blame Iran for the attack. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has condemned the act but called for a “diplomatic response” to the attack.

On 18 September, the Saudi Defense Ministry held a press conference, displaying “material evidence” proving Iranian Involvement. The evidence they provided included remains of missiles, shredded metal and blown up bits and pieces from the oil production plants.

Officially, Iran has denied any responsibility for the attacks.

Because much of this appears to be playing out over Twitter, Iranian political advisor Hesameddin Ashena tweeted in response, “The press conference proved that Saudi Arabia knows nothing about where the missiles and drones were made or launched from and failed to explain why the country’s defence system failed to intercept them.”

Also taking to Twitter was Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, replying to the accusations, who criticized the US saying, “Just imagine: The US isn’t upset when its allies mercilessly BOMB babies in Yemen for over 4 years-with its arms and its military assistance. But it is terribly upset when the victims react the only they can-against the aggressor’s OIL refineries.”

While there is no doubt that Iran supports the Houthi rebels in Yemen, the degree to which that support run is questionable. While Saudi’s claim that the Houthi are Iranian proxies, there is scant evidence to suggest that Iran provides anything other than tangential support. In a 2016 report, Thomas Juneau of the University of Ottawa said: “there is limited hard evidence that Tehran has provided them with material support.”

Saudi Arabia is America’s strongest ally in the region so it’s not surprising President Trump has chosen to stand by Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, or MbS, and the Saudis. In all honesty, Trump appears to be volunteering the US to stand in for the Saudis. Initially, Trump’s weekend “locked and loaded” tweet strongly suggested he would send in American troops if the Saudi’s asked. And then having his top diplomat refer to the incident as an “act of war” certainly throws another log on the diplomatic pyre between Iran and the United States.

While President Trump has not closed the book on a military strike against Iran, he has since tempered himself by saying that he had not “promised” the Saudis anything. He also went on to say that he will “sit down with the Saudis and work something out.”

In the meantime, Trump will use this event to flex his “maximum pressure” policy and penalize Iran for their alleged involvement in the attack. On Wednesday 18 September, he ordered new sanctions on top of the already crippling ones that are strangling the Iranian economy.

It was thought that President Trump and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani might sit down for a talk next week when the United Nations General Assembly gathers in New York City. That now seems unlikely. According to Iranian state broadcaster IRIB, President Rouhani said, “Instead of creating a positive atmosphere, the American diplomats are trying to exert maximum slander on Iran with baseless and meaningless accusations.”

Whoever perpetrated the attacks on 14 September successfully crippled more than half of Saudi Arabia’s oil-exporting capability. Its effect on the world market was immediate and profound. After an initial surge of almost 20%, oil prices fell on 16 September. This accounted for the largest intra-day jump since the Gulf War in 1990-91. Acknowledging this and to assuage the world market, the Saudi’s have said that oil production will be restored to their pre-attack levels “in the coming weeks.”

As of this writing, the evidence shows that Iranian involvement in the attack is unclear. There is no denying their support of the Houthi but whether that support includes arms like specialized drones and missiles is not known. But that has not stopped the Americans from stepping onto the bully pulpit as a stand-in for Saudi Arabi and condemning Iran as the sole culprit.

It took 41 years to get clarity on the Gulf of Tonkin incident. The event that launched America into a full-blown war with Vietnam. When it was all said and done, the incident proved to be nothing more than “material misrepresentation by the US government” to justify going to war.

We can only hope this incident doesn’t play out the same way: and that it doesn’t take as long to find out who is responsible for the attacks on the Saudi Arabian oil refineries…or lead to yet another war costing far too many lives.   

L'articolo America Takes One More Step Towards War with Iran proviene da InsideOver.

Attacks over the weekend on two Saudi Arabian oil sites raise the “terrifying” prospect of Yemen getting sucked into a regional war, United Nations peace envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths said Monday.

While Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebel group has claimed responsibility for hitting the Saudi oil facilities, US officials have blamed Tehran and President Donald Trump has said Washington is “locked and loaded” for a potential response.

“At a minimum, this kind of action carries the risk of dragging Yemen into a regional conflagration,” Griffiths told the UN Security Council via a video-link on Monday.

“Because of one thing we can be certain, and that is that this very serious incident makes the chances of a regional conflict that much higher. With Yemen in some way linked. None of that is good for Yemen.”

Yemen’s Houthi rebel group claimed responsibility for the pre-dawn attacks on Saudi Aramco facilities on Saturday, which shut down more than 5 percent of global supply and sent oil prices surging up by 20 percent.

But US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo ruled out Yemeni involvement and accused Iran of leading the attacks, without offering any evidence. Tehran denied that claim, saying the allegations were meant to justify actions against it.

“This is frankly terrifying,” said Griffiths.

“It is not entirely clear who was behind the attack, but the fact that [the Houthis] claimed responsibility is bad enough. And whatever we will discover of the attack, it is a sure sign that Yemen seems to be moving even further away from the peace we all seek.”

The attacks have revived fears of an outbreak of fighting between Iranian and American forces in the Gulf and appear to have dashed prospects of talks between Trump and his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, at the upcoming UN General Assembly.

Relations between Washington and Tehran were already tense due to a long-running row between the two governments over Iran’s nuclear program, which saw the US pull out of a 2015 multi-nation deal and impose crippling sanctions.

Washington’s new ambassador the UN, Kelly Craft, said the US was “standing firmly with our Saudi friends” following the strikes on facilities in Abqaiq and Khurais in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province.

“We must all be clear-eyed about this event – a direct assault on the world energy supply,” Craft told the diplomats in New York.

“Claims of responsibility have been made. But … there is no evidence that the attacks came from Yemen. Emerging information indicates that responsibility lies with Iran.”

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have been locked in a war with a Saudi-UAE-led coalition since 2015. The coalition seeks to restore President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi to power after he was driven out of the capital Sanaa by the Houthis.

L'articolo Saudi Oil Strikes Could Drag Yemen into Regional War: UN Envoy proviene da InsideOver.