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Iraqi leader Moqtada al-Sadr announces Iran-US War crisis is over, restrains Iraqi militias, says new govt to be formed shortly - UPDATES


Comment: Remember this guy? He's a big deal. He effectively led the Iraqi insurgency against US occupation in the 2000s, and today he's a fierce Iraqi patriot and kingmaker of Iraqi govts...


Moqtada al-Sadr
© Reuters/Alaa al-MarjaniIraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr
Influential Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has declared the "crisis" between the US and Iran over, following statements from the two countries' leaders in the wake of Tuesday's Iranian strikes on US bases in Iraq.

Al-Sadr made his pronouncement on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump gave a relatively subdued speech praising Iran's restraint. Rather than call for retaliation against Iran over a strike that didn't kill any Americans, Trump merely vowed to impose even more sanctions on the Islamic Republic "until Iran changes its behavior."


Comment: Merely vowed! We presume that was written with tongue firmly planted in cheek.


Iran's President Hassan Rouhani in turn vowed to eventually kick all US troops "out of the region" as the "final answer" to the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani, killed in a US airstrike last week.

Shia religious leader al-Sadr also called on Iraqi militias to be "patient" and not begin any military actions, claiming that a new "strong" government capable of protecting Iraq's sovereignty would be formed in 15 days and hold early elections. However, Iraq should still evict the foreign troops inside its borders, he said.


Comment: Interesting. This series of events is shaking things up in Iraq too.


Comment: UPDATE 9th Jan 21:00 CET

Former Congressman Ron Paul comments on the current state of the situation:
It's "not totally unlike Trump to make a lot of noise" and then ultimately "back off a bit" when it comes to handling international conflicts — but that doesn't mean the dangers have passed, former congressman Ron Paul told RT.

Trump backed away from the idea of striking Iran in a much-anticipated address on Wednesday, as the two nations seemed to be on the brink of war over the US killing of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani. He did, however, double down on promises of more crippling sanctions.

Paul told RT that while Trump's decision not to escalate militarily was positive, problems and dangers still exist because the president has "too many neocons around him trying to aggravate things."

He also called US sanctions on Iran an "act of war" in themselves, and said that Americans would be outraged if another country engaged in economic warfare and blockades against Washington. "There's a war going on" already through sanctions, he said.

Paul reiterated his long-standing view that the US should pull its troops out of Iraq and said that the US's "monstrosity of an embassy" in Baghdad was just "provoking" people into attacks on US personnel.

The former congressman and libertarian said that the US should be "very engaged" in the world, but through diplomacy and trade, rather than military aggression.

He also said the narrative of Iran as the aggressor or initiating force behind recent tensions is misleading, because in its position it simply "can't afford to be" an aggressor.
RT reports that, although Iran gave the US advanced warning of its intent to strike particular US bases - notably those holding arms, and not troops - a US general is still claiming that Iran was 'shooting to kill':
Although no one died in the Iranian missile strikes on US bases in Iraq, in part due to advance warning from Tehran, the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said he personally believed that Iran intended otherwise.

"I believe, based on what I saw and what I know, that [the strikes] were intended to cause structural damage, destroy vehicles and equipment and aircraft, and to kill personnel," Army General Mark Milley told reporters on Wednesday.

"That's my own personal assessment," he added. "But the analytics is in the hands of professional intelligence analysts. So they're looking at that."

Milley did not elaborate whether those were the same analysts who "assessed" the truthfulness of the now-debunked 'Russiagate,' or the equally phantom existence of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, used to justify the 2003 invasion.

The overnight attacks on Al-Asad airbase and Erbil involved over a dozen ballistic missiles, fired by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in revenge for the US drone strike that killed General Qassem Soleimani, one of the IRGC's top commanders.

The Iraqi government confirmed that it had received advance warning about the strikes from Iran, enabling US troops to take precautionary measures and activate their "finest in the world" air defenses. No lives were lost as a result.

Both Iran and the US declared victory and stood down on Wednesday morning, with US President Donald Trump describing the outcome as "a good thing for all parties concerned."

It was a stunning turn from Tuesday's hard line championed by Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and not everyone at the Pentagon seems happy about it, if Milley's comments are anything to go by.

'Worst military briefing ever'

Pentagon officials sent to Capitol Hill to brief lawmakers on the almost-war apparently didn't do too well either. Emerging from the classified briefing, Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) gave a blistering denunciation of what he heard as "probably the worst briefing I've seen, at least on a military issue," adding that the military could not name a single instance in which they would feel it necessary to ask for congressional approval.

Exact details of the briefing are classified, but Lee hinted that the military apparently told lawmakers that they could not debate or discuss the strike that killed Soleimani, or whether a military intervention against Iran was legal, as that would signal division and weakness to Tehran.

"It is not acceptable for officials within the executive branch of government...to come in and tell us that we can't debate and discuss the appropriateness of military intervention against Iran," Lee fumed afterward. "It's un-American. It's unconstitutional and it's wrong."

Lee and fellow Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) said the briefing convinced them to change their mind and support the War Powers resolution proposed by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia), Hillary Clinton's 2016 running mate.
Iraq's Foreign Ministry intends to summon the Iranian ambassador over the missile strikes:
"The foreign ministry rejects these attacks and considers them a violation of Iraqi sovereignty. It stresses that Iraq is an independent state and that its internal security is its priority. We will not allow it to become a battlefield," the ministry said in a statement.

Commenting on the attacks, the office of Iraqi President Barham Saleh condemned the missile strikes, while saying in a statement that Iraq "has previously declared its refusal to be a starting point for aggression against any country, and also refuses to be a source of threat to any of its neighbours.
In an interview Mike Pence claims that Iran has asked militias not to target Americans - which is odd because Iran has not and never intended to create American casualties:
Vice President Mike Pence in an interview said the United States has received intelligence indicating that Iran has asked militias not to target Americans in the wake of the killing of commander Qesem Soleimani.

"We're receiving some encouraging intelligence that Iran is sending messages to those very same militias not to move against American targets or civilians. And we hope that that message continues to echo," Pence told CBS News on Wednesday.
See also: Iran vows to expel US but not kill its soldiers, Trump wants NATO to replace US troops and has suspicions about Ukrainian plane crash


Wolf

Haftar's LNA in control of most of Libya - rejects Putin-Erdogan ceasefire call

GNA military cadets killed funeral
© REUTERS/Ismail ZitounyLibyan security members carry a coffin during the funeral of people who were killed in an attack on a GNA military academy in Tripoli, Libya January 5, 2020.
General Khalifa Haftar, leader of the Libyan National Army, has rejected the ceasefire proposed by the Russian and Turkish presidents as a way to de-escalate the hostilities with the government in Tripoli.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for a truce in Libya during their meeting on Wednesday in Istanbul, after Turkey sent troops and equipment to Tripoli in support of the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA).

Haftar's LNA controls most of Libya, however, and has been advancing on Tripoli in recent days. He rejected the idea of a ceasefire on Thursday, after returning from Rome, where Italy tried without success to mediate a deal between the LNA and GNA head Fayez al-Sarraj.

Comment:


Bad Guys

Trudeau wants Canada to take part in probe to ensure 'proper' investigation of Ukrainian jet crash in Tehran

Ukrainian plane crash baghdad
© Nazanin Tabatabaee / WANA via ReutersRescue team works among debris of a plane that crashed after take-off from Iran's Imam Khomeini airport
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called for a "proper" investigation into the crash of a Ukrainian airliner in Iran's capital, noting that the bulk of the plane's passengers were en route to Canada.

Trudeau said Canada's foreign minister would speak with his Iranian counterpart to discuss the need for a probe, but added it would be "dangerous" to speculate about the cause of the crash at this early stage. Nonetheless, he said he expected Canada would have a role in any investigation into the incident.

Comment: Britain is weighing in on the matter, and appears to have already made up its mind by giving emphasis to the missile hypothesis:
The UK government says it is looking into "very concerning" reports that the Ukrainian Boeing passenger airliner that crashed near Tehran this week, killing all 176 on board, may have been hit by a missile.

Johnson has said that there needs to be "a full, credible and transparent investigation into what happened," according to his spokesman.

The remarks come after Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine's Security Council, told Ukrainian media that officials were working on a number of theories regarding the crash, including that of a missile strike "as information has surfaced on the internet about elements of a missile being found near the site of the crash."

Ukraine had initially suggested that the crash was due to an engine fire or another technical issue, but later retracted the statement. President Zelensky cautioned the public against spreading conspiracy theories and speculating on what could have caused the crash - which has already been named the deadliest in the history of modern Ukraine.
Iran is arguing against the missile story:
Iranian civil aviation authorities rejected as 'scientifically impossible' the media reports that the Ukrainian passenger jet departing Tehran was shot down by a missile, and called the scenario 'illogical rumors'.

"Scientifically, it is impossible that a missile hit the Ukrainian plane, and such rumours are illogical," Ali Abedzadeh, head of Iran's of Civil Aviation Organization, said on Thursday, according to the news agency ISNA.

Iranian civil aviation authorities considered the possibility that the plane was shot down, but dismissed it because the plane attempted to return to the airport. Ukrainian officials cited a photo of missile debris that "was published on the internet" as possible evidence of an attack, but Iranian authorities say the photos do not match physical evidence.

"No parts of a missile were found at the scene of the crash," civil aviation inspector Hassan Rezaeifar told the IRNA news agency, describing the missile scenario as "off the table."
Not to mention the fact that Iraqi airspace is some of the most surveilled in the world from all sides. How would such a launch be hidden?


More:
Eyewitnesses observed a fire on the Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-800 while it was still airborne, Iran's civil aviation organization noted. The aircraft attempted to return to Tehran's Imam Khomeini airport before crashing, killing all 176 people on board, the organization said. The Iranian investigators confirmed that no distress calls or messages were received from the pilot before the plane hit the ground.



Security cameras captured the very first seconds of a Ukrainian Boeing 737-800 crash near Tehran, showing the site being strewn with burning debris.


Ukraine is taking the lead in the investigation but is following the West's lead in proposing a Russian-made missile:
Kiev will establish if its airliner, which crashed near Tehran with 176 on board, was hit by a 'Russian-made' missile, collided with a drone, or was targeted by terrorists, a Ukrainian security council official has said.

Ukraine has sent dozens of investigators to Iran to look into possible causes of the crash, including "an explosion inside the plane following a terrorist attack," collision with an unmanned aerial vehicle, or a direct hit by "a surface-to-air missile," Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the security council, told Censor news outlet.

Kiev is now in talks with Tehran regarding access to the crash site, the official added. They said investigators will search it for any "wreckage of a Russian-[made] Tor missile," referring to allegations that popped up on social media.

Iran has acquired 29 Tor-M1 missile systems over a decade ago, receiving delivery of the final batch in 2007. Developed back in Soviet Union, the all-weather, short-range system has been immensely popular with armies across the Middle East, North Africa and Asia.

That claim may not sit well with Iran's preliminary findings, which it disclosed earlier in the day. The country's civil aviation authority said the Boeing 737-800, operated by Ukraine International Airlines, caught fire when it was airborne. Pilots tried to return to Imam Khomeini airport from which they departed, but to no avail. They made no distress calls during the emergency, it has emerged.

On Wednesday, Ukraine had initially suggested that the crash was due to an engine fire or another technical issue, but later retracted the statement. Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelensky cautioned the public against spreading conspiracy theories and speculating on what could have cause the crash - which has already been named the deadliest in the history of modern Ukraine.
Wonder who asked for the retraction . . . .


Attention

Several Senate Republicans weigh in: Pelosi's choice to respect impeachment docs deadline or move to dismiss

HawleyPelosi
© UnknownSen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) • Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) announced on Friday if Democrats DO NOT deliver their articles of impeachment to the US Senate as is required by the US Constitution he will introduce a measure to dismiss Pelosi's slapdash articles of impeachment on Monday January 6th.

Nancy Pelosi was on notice
She had three days to decide but did not act.

Senator Hawley, the former Attorney General in Missouri, tweeted this warning out on Thursday: Dems said impeachment was URGENT. Now they don't want to have a trial, because they have no evidence. In real world, if prosecution doesn't proceed with case, it gets dismissed. So on Monday, I will introduce measure to dismiss this bogus impeachment for lack of prosecution. This will expose Dems' circus for what it is: a fake impeachment, abuse of the Constitution, based on no evidence. If Dems won't proceed with trial, bogus articles should be dismissed and @realDonaldTrump fully cleared.

Comment: See also:


X

MuzzleWatch: Context missing in coverage of Soleimani assassination

Screenshot CNN
© screenshot CNN
For this week of Muzzlewatch we have no choice but to examine the assassination of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani. As of this writing, Iran had launched missiles into two US bases in north and west Iraq and President Trump made a televised address from the White House to announce "Iran appears to be standing down." Events are proceeding at a very rapid pace.

There are two primary issues I want to look at: how this event is playing out in the mainstream media (MSM), and the coverage (or lack thereof) of Israeli state actors, U.S. based support, and individual Trump supporters who pushed for and/or were instrumental in implementing this blatant act of war.

The Soleimani assassination in the mainstream media

While the usual suspects and positions are being trotted out, there is an important difference when comparing this event to what has usually gone before. Specifically, the MSM is, relatively, far less trusting this time around, even the paper of empire, the New York Times, is publishing substantial pieces questioning basic, "rule of law" claims made by the administration as well as Secretary of State Pompeo's justification for the attack.
"I don't think the intelligence supports the conclusion that killing a top Iranian official is going to either stop (the) plotting or improve American security." ~ Rep. Adam Schiff
More directly, the Washington Post published an Op-Ed stating the obvious, Trump's rationales for the Soleimani killing are falling apart.

Arrow Up

TurkStream: A 'national and energy security' matter for Turkey and EU that the US can't derail

ErdoganPutin
© Reuters/Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/KremlinRussian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan during a ceremony in Istanbul to mark the completion of the TurkStream gas pipeline.
The TurkStream pipeline, supplying Russian gas to Turkey under the Black Sea, will boost energy security of the entire southern Europe and the US won't interfere with it, said Sakir Arikan, managing director of TurkAkim Gas.

The much-anticipated 930km pipeline was launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during a special ceremony on Wednesday. The massive infrastructure project was completed in less than three years, despite active resistance from Washington.

The US was alarmed that TurkStream would make Europe overly "dependent" on Russian energy supplies - and less eager to buy more expensive American LNG. When asked if he was expecting any further American attempts to derail the project, such as sanctions threats, Arikan said no.
"I don't think so, because the pipeline is already completed and started... Everything is done. The Turks have shown that they're willing to stick to their guns when it comes to matters of national security.... and Turk Stream is a matter of national security when it comes to energy."

Windsock

Shell-shocked pundits crawl back to Killary, forgetting she enthusiastically embraced US wars

Killary
© Reuters/Gerda StudioIf you squint really hard, it's ALMOST like she's in the Oval Office...
Social media sang praises of would-be US President Hillary Clinton as actual President Donald Trump seemed headed for all-out war with Iran - even though Clinton had been a much more enthusiastic participant in US wars.

After Iranian missiles struck several US bases Tuesday night, #Resistance twitter wasted no time disavowing the administration they blamed for the hostilities, running into the arms of his arch-rival with the #IVotedforHillaryClinton hashtag.


But claiming Clinton was the less warlike of the two candidates, or would have steered the country away from war with Iran, requires a serious divergence from history. The former Secretary of State once told an interviewer that "I want the Iranians to know that if I'm the president, we will attack Iran."

Bad Guys

Best of the Web: Iran didn't want to kill US troops with its strike, it wanted to make point to Trump about its missile tech & resolve. It did that

Iran missile
© AFP / BBC Persian
Iran's anticipated retaliation for the US assassination of Qassem Soleimani sent a clear signal to Donald Trump that while the current round of violence may be over, Iran stands ready to respond to any future US provocation.

Tehran warned Iraq to spare US soldiers

On Tuesday night, the Iranian nation buried the body of Qassem Soleimani, the charismatic senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officer assassinated by the US this past week. In the early hours of Wednesday morning, that task completed, Soleimani's IRGC comrades, acting on the orders of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, launched some 22 ballistic missiles from Iranian territory into neighboring Iraq, targeting the huge US air base Al Asad, in western Iraq, and the US consulate in the city of Erbil, in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Comment: Yes, it seems likely that Iran happy to display its high tech-missiles, but the fact that these attacks were coordinated with the US points to something more going on. See Joe Quinn's SOTT Focus: What War Was Trump Trying to Stop by Killing Iranian General Soleimani? and his appearance on PressTV:




Bizarro Earth

Iran vows to expel US but not kill its soldiers, Trump wants NATO to replace US troops and has suspicions about Ukrainian plane crash

Iran's Revolutionary Guards
© REUTERS/Morteza NikoubazlFILE PHOTO: Members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards march during a military parade
A senior Iranian military commander has promised further action against the United States, a day after Tehran launched missiles at two bases housing US troops in Iraq.

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Abdollah Araghi said that Iran would take "harsher revenge soon," without specifying what that might entail, Tasnim news agency reported on Thursday.

The deputy head of the IRGC, Ali Fadavi, described Iran's missile attacks on US forces as a display of the Islamic Republic's military capabilities, claiming that the Americans "couldn't do a damn thing" about the strikes.

Comment: Iranian commander states that the strikes on US bases is aimed at damaging the military machine and is not intended to kill troops. Notably the US had sufficient warning of the location of the strikes that took place at two bases on Wednesday morning:
Speaking on Iranian state television on Thursday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC) aerospace commander, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, elaborated on the operation the previos day.

"We didn't seek to kill. We sought to hit the enemy's military machine."

Hajizadeh added that expelling American troops from the Middle East would be "appropriate revenge" for the death of IRGC Major General Qassem Soleimani, who the US assassinated in a drone strike at Baghdad airport on Friday.

He said that the attack would be the start of a series of similar strikes across the region.

Trump thanked an "early warning system" for tipping the US military off about the incoming Iranian missiles on Wednesday morning, averting casualties at the bases. However, the Iraqi government confirmed that it received advance warning of the strikes, enabling US troops to take precautionary measures and activate air defense systems. Nevertheless, the missiles struck with pinpoint accuracy, demonstrating the advancement of Tehran's military technology in recent years.
Below is The Saker's report on Iran's IRGC Aerospace Force General Amir Ali Hajizadeh statement regarding the steps they intend to take in their retaliation:
Transcript:

- We struck with our missiles areas in the American airbase (in Iraq) that was used for equipping attack helicopters

- We were able to target the barracks of US soldiers in airbase but we avoided that because our aim was to target the command center

- We struck the US command center of the Ain al-Assad base and images reveal the extent of its destruction

- US President Trump use to visit Ain al-Assad airbase when he visits Iraq

- Our aim was to create terror and panic in hearts of US forces (in airbase)

- US forces transported its injured soldiers to Zionist entity (Israel) using 9 airplanes

- We have not heard of any targeting of American military bases without subsequent US retaliation ever since WWII

- What we heard from Trump is nonsense, America could have attacked Iran yet it was focusing on media action

- There are many targets in Iran yet America is unable to carry out such operations

- The world now knows who is the one that lost the battle

- US forces will inevitably leave the region

- The Resistance Axis is the one that will kick out American forces from the region

- There is no doubt that there are dead & injured among the US forces even though we targeted the base's command centers

- The next step (of the response) will be carried out by the factions of the Resistance Axis

- The next response will not be merely a 'slap', but rather a step that will transform the situation of the region entirely

- Our first operation does not equal blood of the martyrs, the leader has announced that the retaliation will be achieved with the full withdrawal of US forces from region

- We are not criminals like the Americans, we could have targeted the residential buildings within the US base

- A new phase of the Revolution has begun with Soleimani's martyrdom

- What's important is we managed to break prestige of America

- We were expecting a response from US and we were prepared to respond to their response

- I tell the states overlooking Persian Gulf: America will not move to rescue you

- This is the first time that US bases are targeted since WWII

- During the operation targeting the US base we were expecting to receive a response, and we were prepared for all-out war

- We decided to target the largest US base and the furthest away from Iranian borders

- We could have designed operation to kill 500 in the 1st step, & if they responded, we could have killed 4,000-5,000 in 2nd & 3rd steps
Iran's ambassador slams Trump's offer of a new nuclear deal considering the events, including the threat of even more sanctions:
The American call for cooperation was "unbelievable" as long as the US persists on animosity, Majid Takht-Ravanchi said in what seems to be Tehran's first reaction to Donald Trump's address to the nation.

Donald Trump has taken a softened stance when addressing the nation after it emerged that Iran's missile strikes have caused only limited damage and inflicted no casualties to US bases in Iraq.

While habitually bashing "Iranian aggression," he announced that Iran will be slapped with "punishing economic sanctions" that will remain in place until it "changes its behavior."

Going on, Trump said that "the time has come" for five world powers which brokered the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran to break away from its "remnants," calling on them to "work together toward making a deal with Iran that makes the world a safer and more peaceful place."
Pakistan's Imran Khan has called for international dialogue to reduce US-Iran tensions:
The prime minister announced that he had instructed Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi to meet with his counterparts in Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United States to discuss growing tensions between Washington and Tehran. He also ordered General Qamar Javed Bajwa, chief of Pakistan's army staff, to consult with relevant military leaders about the situation.

"Pakistan is ready to play its role for peace but it can never again be part of any war," Khan wrote.

Islamabad also called on the UN Security Council to help resolve the crisis. Qureshi said on Wednesday that the standoff must be resolved through dialogue, and that the region "simply cannot afford another war."
Trump makes the curious claim that the Ukrainian plane crash may been because 'somebody made a mistake', and he confirms the sanctions are ready to be applied:
Trump also called for a NATO presence in the Middle East.

Trump told reporters on Thursday that a new round of economic sanctions on Iran are "done" and will be applied pending an announcement by the Department of the Treasury.

"It's already been done... They were very severe, but now it's increased substantially."

The president also addressed the crash of the Ukrainian International Airlines plane, which hit the ground shortly after takeoff from Tehran on Wednesday, killing 176 people on board. A preliminary Iranian report suggested that the Boeing 737-800 caught fire and tried to turn around before crashing, while Ukrainian authorities are investigating whether a terrorist attack or "surface-to-air" missile brought down the airliner.

Trump stopped short of accusing Tehran, saying that he has "suspicions" that "somebody could have made a mistake."

Tehran has yet to hand over the plane's black box, and in the meantime, the US media has reported anonymous US officials as saying the aircraft was"highly likely" brought down by Iranian air defenses. The Pentagon, however, is refusing to comment on the matter.

Trump suggested that NATO rename itself "NATOME," with "ME" standing for 'Middle East.' The alliance, he suggested, could send more personnel to the region, "as opposed to us."

"We can come home...and use NATO. This is an international problem. We caught ISIS [Islamic State, IS], we did Europe a big favor. "


A move which while far from ideal does hint that US troops would be out of the region.


Trump limited himself to saying the plane was "flying in a rough neighborhood."

Though Trump opted not to retaliate to the Iranian missile strike with military force, tensions between the US and Iran remain high. Iranian military officials warned on Thursday of further attacks, and as Trump spoke to reporters, the House of Representatives held a vote on restricting Trump's powers to declare war on Iran.
See also:


Info

The messages and consequences of Iran's strikes against US bases in Iraq

assad base damage
Just after midnight local time today, Iranian ballistic missiles "Fateh 313" hit two military bases in Iraq that host a significant concentration of US forces, along with other allies. The Iranian direct hit was the retaliation for the US assassination of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds brigade Sardar Qassem Soleimani and his companions, killed by a US drone at Baghdad airport last week. The Iranian retaliation carries several strategic messages to the Middle East for this year 2020 and for many years to come. What are these messages? What will come of Iran's open attack on the most powerful country in the world?

A high-ranking Iranian official contacted the Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi after midnight to inform him that Iran had decided to retaliate for the assassination of its General. Iran said it would hit a concentration of US forces in Iraq, without hitting any Iraqi forces.

Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi - according to well-informed sources in Baghdad - answered that "this act may carry devastating results on the Middle East: Iraq refuses to become the theatre for a US-Iran war". The Iranian official replied: "Those who began this cycle of violence are the US, not Iran; the decision has been taken."

Prime Minister Abdel Mahdi informed the US forces of the Iranian decision. US declared a state of emergency and alerted all US bases in Iraq and the region in advance of the attack.

Comment: In other words, this attack showed the world that Iran is not helpless. The strikes on Ain Assad airbase were precise - specific targets were destroyed, and troop barracks were avoided. If Iran wanted to, it could have killed many US troops. Will this realization dawn on U.S. strategists? Sooner or later they must realize that they are not the only ones with the ability to threaten and coerce compliance. The Americans have to leave Iraq. If they don't, they will suffer. It's past time to (once again) declare "mission accomplished" and leave, for good.