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BAGHDAD – US and Iraqi authorities have warned Iran and Iranian-backed militias that any attack on US diplomats or military forces here would face swift retaliation as the anniversary of a strike approaches drone attack that killed one of Tehran’s main military leaders.
“No one should underestimate our ability to defend our forces or to act decisively in response to an attack,” Senior US Military Commander for the Middle East, General Frank McKenzie said Wednesday.
Calls by Iranian-backed militias for violence against Americans have escalated as January 3 approaches, the day last year that Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani and an Iraqi paramilitary commander with him were killed as they left Baghdad airport.
On Thursday, a pro-Iranian Iranian news group on the Telegram messaging service posted a photo of the US Embassy captioned: “Always remember I can see what you are doing.”
The US strike that killed General Soleimani and an Iranian counterattack against US forces with ballistic missiles raised fears of open war in the Middle East. Tensions have gradually eased, but Washington and Tehran remain at odds over Iran’s nuclear program and its support for foreign militias.
Last month – days after a rocket barrage hit Baghdad’s green zone, home to foreign diplomatic missions – Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi dispatched a delegation to Tehran to ask the government to help him curb attacks, according to Iraqi lawmaker Amer al-Fayez.
The delegation also conveyed the message that Washington would hold Iran responsible for any attack, according to an Iraqi government official.
The scene of the drone attack at Baghdad airport on January 3, 2020.
Photo:
Press Office of the Prime Minister of Iraq / Associated Press
On Wednesday, the United States sent two B-52 bombers on a flight over the Middle East in a show of force directed against “anyone who intends to harm Americans or American interests,” Central Command says American.
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif responded on Twitter, saying, “Iran is not seeking war but will OPENLY AND DIRECTLY defend its people, security and vital interests.
Iranian-backed militias staged a series of events to mark last year’s drone strike. In recent days, new billboards have been installed along the airport road, renaming it “Martyr Al Mohandes Street”, named after the militia commander who was killed alongside General Soleimani.
On Sunday, a demonstration is scheduled in central Baghdad to demand that US troops leave the country.
A year ago, militia members and supporters walked through the outer perimeter of the U.S. Embassy after a vigil to protest the killing of more than two dozen fighters in a U.S. airstrike. The strike follows the murder of an American contractor in a rocket attack on a base housing coalition troops in northern Iraq.
Security forces have stepped up their presence on the streets of Baghdad in recent days, especially in and around the Green Zone, according to Iraqi security officials.
The United States has reduced its footprint in Iraq over the past year, abandoning small isolated outposts and reducing the number of troops to around 3,000. He also prepared to shut down the Baghdad embassy unless the Iraqi government took steps to prevent attacks by militias.
Rocket attacks targeting the embassy and bases housing US troops escalated as the war against ISIS ended and the Trump administration stepped up pressure on Iran. The militias have also claimed responsibility for attacks in recent months against Iraqi convoys carrying supplies for the US-led coalition forces.
Write to Isabel Coles at [email protected]
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