Reports: Trump may order a strike on Iran in the coming weeks

[yota691]

CNN: Decision to withdraw an American aircraft carrier from the Gulf

According to what was quoted by the American Network, according to an official in the US Department of Defense

31.12.2020

 

    

Washington

Washington / Anatolia

The American "CNN" network said, Thursday, that Acting US Defense Secretary Christopher Miller decided to withdraw the aircraft carrier "USS Nimitz" from the Persian Gulf region.

The network quoted a senior US defense official (it did not name him) as saying that "Miller decided, on Wednesday, to withdraw the aforementioned aircraft carrier and send it outside the region, in an explicit reference to de-escalation with Iran."

She added that "before Miller recalled the aircraft carrier, which was to leave the Gulf region, the commander of the US Army Central Command, General Kenneth Mackenzie, pressed for an extension of its mission there, according to the military official."

The military official also expressed his concern about government officials exaggerating the reality of the current situation with Iran, amid fears that Tehran might launch retaliatory attacks on the occasion of the anniversary of the assassination of the Quds Force commander, General Qassem Soleimani.

The network quoted another (unnamed) military official as saying that "the intelligence information gathered by the United States indicates an imminent possible attack by Iranian-backed militias on American forces in Iraq, although there is no certainty about that."

She added that Miller's decision came despite the US Central Command’s announcement, on Wednesday, that it would send two additional "B-52" bombers to the Middle East with the aim of "deterring aggression," noting the division of Pentagon officials about the danger posed by Iran.

According to the command's statement, this mission is "the third deployment of the B-52H bomber in the US Central Command's area of operations in the last 45 days."

In late November, the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz moved to the Persian Gulf region with other warships, according to local media.

CNN said at the time that these moves were taking place with the aim of providing combat support and air cover with the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq and Afghanistan by January 15 next.

It also quoted a Pentagon official as saying, "This step was carried out under the orders of the outgoing President, Donald Trump, before news of the assassination of the prominent Iranian nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh."

"CNN" stated that the American forces' movements are a message of increasing deterrence to Iran, regardless of the official's remark.

[yota691]

Washington is preparing for an air strike against Tehran's targets and clients in Iraq

 

 

An American crowd to deter Iran's plans in the region (Reuters)

The Seven Continents Agencies -

 

Washington, Baghdad 02:00 Friday 01/01/2021 Tensions have escalated in the last hours between the administration of US President Trump and the Iranian regime, amid expectations that the US forces may launch an air strike against Iranian targets and proxies in the region, in response to Iranian plans to target US forces in Iraq, according to US media. The US Department of Defense announced the arrival of two additional B-52 bombers to the Middle East in the context of activating the deterrence strategy against Tehran. The same ministry also announced the end of the third mission of the B-52 strategic bombers in the region.

 

Air cover

 

The US Department of Defense decided to provide air cover throughout the day in the skies of Iraq and the Gulf region to protect against any attack attempt by Iranian militias that could threaten US interests. The US Central Command also conducted a risk assessment and review process in the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab, following the Houthi attack on Aden airport. The commander of the American Central Command said: Our forces are ready to respond to any aggression against the Americans and the interests of the United States, while the American Central Command confirmed that the two bombers' flight in the Middle East sends a deterrent message to those who intend to harm the Americans. The head of the Iranian regime, Hassan Rouhani, claimed that his country and the peoples of the region would take revenge in a timely manner for the killing of the former commander of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guard, Qassem Soleimani, and Rouhani said in statements, yesterday, Thursday, that Trump will leave after three weeks of the American administration and political life, and there will be no face left for him. in history. Rouhani sought to tickle the feelings of the Iranians, with statements that political observers considered empty. He said: The Iranian people and the peoples of the region have become more resistant and steadfast on the road to independence, and that they will cut off the feet of the aggressor America from the region. In turn, the commander of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Ismail Qaani, during a closed session of the Iranian parliament, claimed his country's ability to kill US President Trump and other US officials, including the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense, and the head of the US Central Intelligence Agency.

 

Tehran clients

 

This comes as a number of pro-Iranian militia leaders left Iraq, and sources indicate that they arrived at dawn yesterday, Thursday, to the Iranian capital, Tehran, according to a plan prepared by the Quds Force commander, who emphasized the readiness of the pro-Iranian militias in the region. The researcher in Iranian affairs d said. Sumaya Asla The current tension between Washington and Tehran is dangerous and warns of a major escalation by President Trump, especially as he seeks to leave an important imprint in the US-Iranian relations file before leaving the White House, pointing out that Trump has demonstrated the ferocity of his position against the Iranian regime by withdrawing from the nuclear agreement, despite The negative position of a number of European countries.

[yota691]

 

2021 begins with an explosion targeting a suppor t convoy for the international coalition in Iraq

 

•  

 2020-12-31 16:57

 

Shafaq News / In the first incident at the beginning of the new year 2021, a detonation with an explosive device targeted a convoy carrying equipment belonging to the international coalition led by the United States of America against ISIS while it was passing on the international road of Samawah.

A security source told Shafaq News that the explosion did not result in any casualties.

A group calling itself "Qasim al-Jabbarin" claimed several bombings that targeted international coalition supplies

[yota691]

The targeting of an international coalition convoy south of Baghdad

•  Time: 12/31/2020 18:05:08
•  
•  Read: 2,743 times

  

{Baghdad: Al Furat News}, on Thursday evening, an explosive device targeted a convoy of the International Coalition, south of Baghdad.

A security source said (to the Euphrates News) that "an explosive device targeted a logistical convoy of the international coalition in the Yusufiya area, south of the capital, Baghdad."
He pointed out that "the losses suffered by the convoy are not known yet."
Wafa Al-Fatlawi

[yota691]

Iran threatens to avenge Soleimani in the US "backyard"

According to the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Ismail Qani

01.01.2021

 

 

    

Ankara

Ankara / Anatolia

Ismail Ghaani, commander of the Quds Force in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, threatened the United States with revenge for Qassem Soleimani in its backyard.

This came in a speech he gave during a ceremony organized at Tehran University, Friday, to commemorate the first anniversary of the killing of the former commander of the Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani, in a US raid on January 3, 2020.

"The martyr Soleimani was assassinated by the most brutal men in the world," Ghaani said, targeting US President Donald Trump, who announced that he had ordered the assassination.

He added, "I say frankly that the path of the Quds Force and the resistance forces will not change because of the evils committed by the United States. Even in your home (in the United States) there may be people who will pay for this crime.

In early 2020, Washington assassinated Soleimani, with an air strike near Baghdad airport, and Iran responded a few days later by targeting two military bases in Iraq that included American soldiers.

[yota691]

Amir Tsarfati

 

@BeholdIsrael

 

All the leaders of the Iranian militias in Iraq have fled into Iran in the past 72 hours. The Iranian military is on its heights level of alert. Iran turned to the UN to warn against any American possible strike. Iraqi terror troupe are preparing to strike US assets on January 3.

 

[Sage449]

Old Joe & Kamala chapped lips from kissing Iranian behind should Trump dump. They'll be scared out of their wits and rush to appease. 

 

[edithjimmy]

18 hours ago, yota691 said:

 

2021 begins with an explosion targeting a suppor t convoy for the international coalition in Iraq

 

•  

 2020-12-31 16:57

 

Shafaq News / In the first incident at the beginning of the new year 2021, a detonation with an explosive device targeted a convoy carrying equipment belonging to the international coalition led by the United States of America against ISIS while it was passing on the international road of Samawah.

A security source told Shafaq News that the explosion did not result in any casualties.

A group calling itself "Qasim al-Jabbarin" claimed several bombings that targeted international coalition supplies

Iran is playing with fire. They do not know how to play nice.  They are getting bolder and bolder thinking that Biden will start paying them like Obama did.  Things are going to get out of their control. It's not going to end well. 

[davis411]

39 minutes ago, edithjimmy said:

Iran is playing with fire. They do not know how to play nice.  They are getting bolder and bolder thinking that Biden will start paying them like Obama did.  Things are going to get out of their control. It's not going to end well. 

Ya maybe 

 

if we had trump 

[yota691]

Iraq is at the height of the US-Iranian conflict "guessing" the damage

 

Saturday - 19 Jumada I 1442 AH - January 02 2021 AD Issue No. [15376]

 

 

Supporters of the pro-Iran factions demonstrate in Baghdad yesterday carrying pictures of Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis (AFP)

Baghdad: Ali Al-Saray

In the past hours, security decision-making circles in Iraq have exchanged a huge flow of information and analysis about what will happen on the first anniversary of the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani; Will Iran and its allies retaliate, and how will Washington respond? Incomplete guesses and indications, which prove that Iraq is the theater of possibilities.
"The plan is the no plan," admits a senior Iraqi official admits that the summary of the analyzes contained in emergency government reports on regional tension present only scenarios, some of which contradict others.
This stage of the US-Iranian conflict reflects its maximum climax, since the two sides retreated from controlling the "rules of engagement" for geopolitical reasons after the battles against "ISIS" ended in 2017, and then dispensed with them completely since the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, on the third of This past January. Iraqi experts are confident that the regional conflict has reached these dangerous and overt levels due to the inability of the Iraqi political system to impose its rhythm on the course of events, in addition to stormy transformations in the Middle East region.
Chaos is the summary of Iraqi assessments of the nature of threats between Washington and Tehran, and from Thursday until the hour of writing this analysis, matters fluctuated rapidly. While the US Air Force bombers were flying in the Gulf region without stopping, in a clear show of force, US Defense Department officials spoke to Western media about a decision to withdraw the naval aircraft carrier, the only operating in the region, and because the decision has not been officially announced until now, the indications She says that there is an American split over the assessment of the level of the Iranian threat.
In Baghdad, high-ranking sources summarize the threats with imperfect information that relies heavily on guesswork, into three possibilities. She says that Baghdad "does not have an absolute certainty of what will happen." Because a large part of the tensions and cautious understandings passes through private channels between the Biden administration and Tehran, without going through Baghdad, which is more concerned with receiving fragments of the conflict.
"The open war will not happen", say political advisers in large Shiite blocs, "even if the bombers fly for a whole week without stopping." And they rely to exclude this scenario on information from Iranian political circles that the regime in Tehran is facing complicated calculations between monitoring the movements of the losing President Donald Trump, and welcome pressure on White House winner Joe Biden.
In the atmosphere of these calculations, Iran is getting more complicated in terms of the logistical ability to carry out specific attacks, and it is also aware that its strategic locations are exposed to US forces, and this is explained by the recent statements of the commander of the "Quds Force" in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, General Ismail Qaani, when he said Retaliation against the Americans "will take place from within their homes," referring to traditional operations, outside the theater of Iraq.
Excluding open warfare raises the traditional possibilities of clashing between Tehran and Washington. In Baghdad, since New Year's Eve, groups belonging to armed Shiite factions have spread in the streets, the declared intention of the banners they raised was to prepare for a memorial service on Sunday, which is likely to be held in Tahrir Square, but Iraqi sources said that they had seen security reports, it is likely that This mobilization is a prelude to direct acts of revenge against US interests in the capital.
In front of an Iranian audience, at a funeral held at Tehran University on Friday, the head of the Popular Mobilization Authority, Faleh al-Fayyad, said, "The Iraqis are the mourners of our deceased guest, Qassem Soleimani." And his desire to take revenge in any way, ”he describes a field commander in a Shiite faction.
Iraqi officials estimate the "available" scenario for carrying out retaliatory operations, by referring the mission to the loyal audience, and using traditional methods to carry out attacks such as the storming of the US embassy in Baghdad, despite the fact that the elite of its diplomatic staff have been deported to alternative locations inside and outside Iraq.
A few days ago, Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi dispatched the advisor Abu Jihad Al-Hashemi to Tehran, one of the controversial aides to former Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi. Tehran has declassified the visit, which included meetings with Iranian officials, while the sources spoke about a separate meeting with the leader of Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Qais Khazali, to reset the truce with the Americans.
There is no documented information on the results of these meetings, but they are part of government attempts with the faction leaders to rein in them in the field. The sources say that Al-Kazemi's plan to avoid the situation between Washington and Tehran includes the operation of two lines simultaneously, the first requires the opening of serious dialogues with the Iranians and the factions to prevent them to stop the escalation, and the other includes showing a higher level of strength against the armed groups in Iraq, and Iraqi officials seem convinced of the viability of this scenario. To persuade the two parties to the conflict to stay away from the Iraqi field, but the data do not favor it until now.

[horsesoldier]

I wonder how far away you can be and still see the Mushroom cloud. . . best look that up; I may need to plan a trip to be a wee bit closer to the action than Arizona. 

[yota691]

Iraq ... a security alert on the eve of the anniversary of the assassination of Soleimani and the engineer

In anticipation of mass demonstrations and missile attacks that could target US interests, according to a security source

02.01.2021

 

    

Iraq

Baghdad / Ali Jawad / Anatolia

On Saturday, the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, and the country's governorates witnessed a security alert, in light of calls by factions close to Iran to demonstrate in anticipation of missile attacks against US interests.

The security alert comes on the eve of the first anniversary of the assassination of the former Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander, Qassem Soleimani, and the deputy head of the Popular Mobilization Authority, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, in a US raid near Baghdad on January 3.

The leaders of the Badr faction, Hadi al-Amiri, and Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq called Qais Khazali, who are members of the Popular Mobilization Forces and close to Iran, to demonstrate on the occasion.

Baghdad fears renewed missile attacks against American interests, whether in the "Green Zone" in central Baghdad, or the bases that house American soldiers in other Iraqi provinces.

Ahmed Khalaf, an officer in the Baghdad police with the rank of captain, told Anadolu Agency, "The security situation is tense in Baghdad and there is a large security intelligence deployment in the regions of the capital in anticipation of any attempt to launch missile attacks targeting the Green Zone."

Khalaf added that the security deployment came amid "assurances that the armed factions have no intention to attack the Green Zone or any American military presence on the anniversary of the killing of Soleimani and the engineer."

On the 20th of last December, unknown persons fired 8 missiles at the Green Zone (central Baghdad), most of which fell on residential buildings, while one of the rockets fell near a security checkpoint, wounding a recruiter, according to the Iraqi Ministry of Defense statement.

There are fears that Iraqi factions close to Iran will launch attacks on US forces and interests, amid a warning from Washington that it will respond strongly to an attack that causes American casualties.

[yota691]

Source: Al-Kazemi contacted 3 parties to prevent any American-Iranian confrontation
 

•  Yesterday, 18:03
•  
•  497

 

Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi communicated with three parties for the purpose of diverting Iraq from an American-Iranian confrontation that has been promoted recently, amid military moves by both parties in the Gulf coinciding with the anniversary of the assassination of the Iranian Quds Force commander, Qassem Soleimani, and the deputy head of the Popular Mobilization Authority, Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis.

A government source told the "Russia Today" website, affiliated with  IQ NEWS , that "Al-Kazemi communicated with the Iranians, the Americans, and even with the armed factions in Iraq."

The source added, "Al-Kazemi, during this communication, tried to prevent any attacks that affect American interests, with the anniversary of the assassination of Soleimani and the engineer."

Al-Kazemi's moves came after the increasing threats from the armed factions, especially the "Hezbollah Brigades" and the "Asaib Ahl al-Haq" movement, whose Secretary General Qais Khazali said two days ago, that "revenge against Soleimani and the engineer is in our necks."

And Iraqi fears increase as the date of the first anniversary of the assassination of Muhandis and Soleimani approaches, on the night of January 3, 2020, the American pilot assassinated Muhandis and Soleimani as they left Baghdad International Airport, while demonstrations are scheduled to start tomorrow in Tahrir Square by supporters of armed factions On the first anniversary of the assassination.

[yota691]

'Any fireworks will backfire badly': Iran's Foreign Minister sends threatening message to Trump and claims Israel may try to provoke a war as tensions between Washington and Tehran flare on anniversary of Soleimani killing

• On Sunday, Iran will mark the first anniversary of the death of General Qassem Soleimani, who was assassinated in a US drone strike
• Intelligence officials have reportedly been alarmed at growing indications that Iranian forces are  preparing a possible attack on American forces 
• Earlier this week, the head of Iran's judiciary warned US President Trump that he is 'not safe on this Earth' 
• On Saturday, US Foreign Minister Javad Zarif posted a warning to Trump on Twitter telling him not to provoke Tehran  
• The US has removed its only aircraft carrier from the Middle East region to 'de-escalate' tensions with Iran

By ANDREW COURT and ARIEL ZILBER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

PUBLISHED: 19:08 EST, 2 January 2021 | UPDATED: 19:12 EST, 2 January 2021

 

 

Iran's Foreign Minister has sent out a menacing message to US President Donald Trump warning him not to take military action against Tehran amid increasing tension between the two nations. 

Javad Zarif posted the warning to Twitter on Saturday, one day before Iran prepares to mark the first anniversary of the death of General Qassem Soleimani, who was assassinated in a US drone strike. 

Zarif posited that Israel - Iran's arch-enemy and the United State's closest Middle Eastern ally - may try to kill US soldiers and make it look like an Iranian attack in order to provoke Trump to take on Tehran. 

'New intelligence from Iraq indicate that Israeli agent-provocateurs are plotting attacks against Americans—putting an outgoing Trump in a bind with a fake casus belli. Be careful of a trap, @realDonaldTrump,' Zarif wrote. 

'Any fireworks will backfire badly, particularly against your same BFFs [Israel]'.  

•  

Iran's Foreign Minister has sent out a menacing message to US President Donald Trump warning him not to take military action against Tehran amid increasing tension between the two nations

•  

Zarif posited that Israel - Iran's arch-enemy and the United State's closest Middle Eastern ally - may try to kill US soldiers and make it look like an Iranian attack in order to provoke Trump to take on Tehran

•  

On Sunday, Iran will mark  the first anniversary of the death of General Qassem Soleimani, who was assassinated in a US drone strike

It comes as US intelligence officials have reportedly been alarmed at growing indications that Iranian forces are on high alert and a possible attack on American forces is 'imminent' to the Soleimani anniversary.  

The head of Iran's judiciary, Ebrahim Raisi, appeared to threaten Trump himself, saying all those who had a role in the killing of Soleimani last year will not be able to 'escape law and justice,' even if they were an American president.

'They will witness severe revenge,' Raisi told the gathering at Tehran University, referring to Trump and US military leaders.

'What has come so far has only been glimpses.'

'Do not presume that someone, as the president of America, who appeared as a murderer or ordered a murder, may be immune from justice being carried out. Never,' Raisi said.

'Those who had a role in this assassination and crime will not be safe on Earth.'

 

On Thursday, the United States reportedly removed its only aircraft carrier from the Middle East region to 'de-escalate' tensions with Iran. 

Acting defense secretary, Christopher C. Miller, ordered the redeployment of USS Nimitz away from the region in a 'de-escalatory' signal to Tehran, US officials told the New York Times. 

Officials are keen to avoid sparking a crisis in the region less than three weeks before the end of Trump's presidency.

The Nimitz was operating just off the coast of Somalia and was in the midst of a 10-month deployment when the Defense Department announced that it would be returning to homeport.

The move comes just two days after the US flew strategic bombers over Iran as a show of force and a week after Trump warned its government that it would be held responsible for attacks targeting Americans in Iraq.

The head of Iran's judiciary, Ebrahim Raisi, appeared to threaten Trump over the death of Soleimani 

The Pentagon earlier this week decided to return home the USS Nimitz, the Naval aircraft carrier that has been operating just off the coast of Somalia during a 10-month deployment. The Nimitz is seen above in the Strait of Hormuz on September 18, 2020

'Our embassy in Baghdad got hit Sunday by several rockets. Three rockets failed to launch' Trump tweeted from aboard Air Force One on December 23.

'Guess where they were from: IRAN. Now we hear chatter of additional attacks against Americans in Iraq... Some friendly health advice to Iran: If one American is killed, I will hold Iran responsible. Think it over,' he wrote.

The decision to send the Nimitz home, announced Thursday by acting secretary of defense Miller, came one day after Air Force B-52 bombers flew nonstop from the United States to the Persian Gulf in a show of force that military officials said was intended to caution Iran against carrying out attacks against US forces or interests.

Sending the Nimitz, home to the US West Coast would seem at odds with the idea that a show of force is needed to deter Iran.

This might reflect a split within the defense establishment on whether Iran poses a heightened threat to strike in the waning days of the Trump administration.

In announcing the decision to send the Nimitz home, Miller made no mention of Iran.

Miller, who was installed as acting Pentagon chief after Trump fired Mark Esper just days after the November 3 election, reportedly overruled his top military commander in the Middle East, General Kenneth F. McKenzie, Jr.

The general wanted to extend the deployment of the Nimitz and keep it in the region as a deterrent, according to The New York Times.

But Miller and his top aides, including Ezra Cohen-Watnick, who was recently given a senior intelligence policy position within the Pentagon after Trump's post-election purge of the agency, believed that the deterrence value of keeping the Nimitz deployed in the region was limited.

American military analysts in recent days are said to have noticed that Iranian air defenses, maritime forces, and other security units were on higher alert, though it is uncertain if they were readying to strike US troops or were preparing against a possible pre-emptive American attack against them.

The decision to send the Nimitz home was made just days after the American military flew B-52 nuclear-capable bombers over the Persian Gulf region in a show of force. The image above shows a US Air Force B-52H 'Stratofortress' from Minot Air Force Base, ND, being refueled by a KC-135 'Stratotanker' on Wednesday near the Persian Gulf. The show of force was meant to deter Iran from attacking American or allied targets in the Middle East

US Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon escort is aerial refueled during Wednesday's mission. The United States flew strategic bombers over the Persian Gulf for the second time this month

An Iranian woman holds a picture depicting General Qassem Soleimani during a ceremony marking the first anniversary of his assassination by the United States last year in Iraq. US military planners are on alert for possible Iranian retaliation as the anniversary approaches

The Pentagon is reportedly divided as to whether there are credible reports that Iran or pro-Iranian militias in Iraq are intending to launch an attack on American interests in the region this weekend.

One defense official told CNN that the 'current threat level from Iran is the most concerning they have seen since Soleimani's death.'

The official cited intelligence that Iran and its allied militias in Iraq could be plotting attacks against US forces in the Middle East.

Iran is said to be moving short range ballistic missiles into Iraq, according to CNN.

But others in the Pentagon disagree, saying that the threat is being exaggerated and that there is 'not a single piece of corroborating intel' that would suggest an attack is imminent.

When asked about the view that the threats are being exaggerated, a senior military official is quoted by CNN as saying: 'The intelligence isn't perfect as you know, it never is, but we do see several planning efforts underway and if even some of them are true and they execute they could kill several Americans.'

While American defense officials remained divided, there was more saber-rattling coming out of Tehran on Friday.

General Hossein Salami, the top commander of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, said on Friday that his country was fully prepared to respond to any US military pressure.

The move to bring home the USS Nimitz comes just two days after the US flew strategic bombers over Iran as a show of force and a week after President Trump warned its government that it would be held responsible for attacks targeting Americans in Iraq

 

Some friendly health advice to Iran: If one American is killed, I will hold Iran responsible. Think it over,' he wrote

Salami spoke at a ceremony at Tehran University commemorating the upcoming one-year anniversary of Soleimani's assassination.

At the time, Iran retaliated by launching a ballistic missile strike on a military base in Iraq that caused brain concussion injuries to about 100 U.S. troops. Washington and Tehran came dangerously close to war as the crisis escalated.

'Today, we have no problem, concern or apprehension toward encountering any powers. We will give our final words to our enemies on the battlefield,' Salami said, without mentioning the U.S. directly. Several top Iranian officials, along with Syrian, Palestinian and Lebanese allies and members of Soleimani´s family, were in attendance.

Soleimani's replacement, Brigadier General Esmail Ghaani, said at the ceremony that Iran was not afraid of confronting 'powers,' again without naming the US.

He also warned that 'freedom seekers' within the US could retaliate for the attack that killed Soleimani, telling America that 'inside your own home, there might be those who want to respond to the crime that you committed.'

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Saturday accused Israel of trying

In a sign of just how tense the situation in the Gulf is, Iraqi explosives experts were working to defuse a large mine discovered on an oil tanker in the Persian Gulf and evacuate its crew, authorities said Friday.

The statement came a day after two private security firms said sailors feared they had found a limpet mine on the MT Pola, a Liberian-flagged tanker in the waters off the Iraqi port of Basra. 

A limpet mine is a type of naval mine that attaches to the side of a ship, usually by a diver-member of special forces. It later explodes, and can significantly damage a vessel.

Iran has denied that it intends to attack American troops. On Saturday, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif accused arch-enemy Israel of planning to using 'agent-provacateurs' to kill US service members in order to provoke Trump into responding against Tehran 

The Iraqi statement said the mine had been attached to a tanker rented from Iraq´s Oil Marketing Company SOMO that was refueling another vessel. 

Iraq's naval forces were making 'a great effort to accomplish the mission' safely, said Iraq's Security Media Cell, which is affiliated with the country´s security forces.

It was the first official Iraqi confirmation that a mine was discovered on an Iraqi tanker transferring fuel in the Persian Gulf to another vessel. 

It did not identify either vessels or provide more details. 

Meanwhile, Iran has told the United Nations nuclear watchdog it plans to enrich uranium to up to 20 per cent purity, a level it achieved before its 2015 accord, at its Fordow site buried inside a mountain, the agency said on Friday.

The move is the latest of several recent announcements by Iran to the International Atomic Energy Agency that it plans to further breach the deal, which it started violating in 2019 in retaliation for Washington's withdrawal from the agreement and the reimposition of U.S. sanctions against Tehran.

This step was one of many mentioned in a law passed by Iran's parliament last month in response to the killing of the country's top nuclear scientist, which Tehran has blamed on Israel. 

Such moves by Iran could complicate efforts by President-elect Joe Biden to rejoin the deal.

General Esmail Ghaani, Soleimani's successor as the new head of Quds Force, speaks during a ceremony on the occasion of first anniversary of death of the force's previous head General Qassem Soleimani in Tehran on Friday

'Iran has informed the Agency that in order to comply with a legal act recently passed by the country's parliament, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran intends to produce low-enriched uranium (LEU) up to 20 percent at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant,' the IAEA said in a statement.

An IAEA report to member states earlier on Friday obtained by Reuters used similar wording in describing a letter by Iran to the IAEA dated December 31.

'Iran's letter to the Agency ... did not say when this enrichment activity would take place,' the IAEA statement said.

Fordow was built inside a mountain, apparently to protect it from aerial bombardment, and the 2015 deal does not allow enrichment there. 

Iran is already enriching at Fordow with first-generation IR-1 centrifuges.

Iran has breached the deal's 3.67 per cent limit on the purity to which it can enrich uranium, but it has only gone up to 4.5 per cent so far, well short of the 20 per cent it achieved before the deal and the 90 per cent that is weapons-grade.

The deal's main aim was to extend the time Iran would need to produce enough fissile material for a nuclear bomb, if it chose to, to at least a year from roughly two to three months. 

It also lifted international sanctions against Tehran.

US intelligence agencies and the IAEA believe Iran had a secret, coordinated nuclear weapons program that it halted in 2003. 

Iran denies ever having had one.

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[yota691]

Tensions peak between Iran and America a year after Soleimani's assassination
The first memory of his liquidation and the end of the term of an American president who has nothing to lose may be two decisive factors in the tensions between Tehran and Washington.

Borzo Dargahi is a correspondent specializing in international affairs  Sunday 3 January 2021 14:50
    

 

Washington sent a B-52 strategic bomber to the Middle East last November (US Air Force)

 

On the streets of Tehran, giant banners were erected on the first anniversary on January 3 of the American assassination of Qassem Soleimani, the commander of Iran's expansionist military forces. His successor, Ismail Qaani, said during a ceremony held, Friday, on the anniversary of the assassination, which was carried out using a drone, "Emerged from your commission of this crime, the duty [of revenge] on all freedom seekers in the world. There may be people in your own homes who will punish the criminals."

In Washington, there is feverish anxiety about an Iranian retaliatory attack, likely to be launched in Iraq, and clear attempts by officials to de-escalate the situation in which the same amount of unrest. US warships and fighters hover in close proximity to Iran in a movement that US officials described as a show of force against Tehran, while other naval military units have been redeployed.

The United States and Iran escalated their decades-long confrontation, reaching a level rarely reached in recent history, just 20 days before the end of the Donald Trump administration, which raised fears of a possible armed conflict between them.  

On Christmas Eve, days after a barrage of missiles were believed to have been launched by pro-Iranian militias near the US embassy in Baghdad, Mr Trump wrote in a move that inaugurated the latest round of tension between Tehran and Washington, “Advice for Iran's safety. If an American citizen is killed. One, I will hold Iran responsible. "

Adding to the speculation was that the US President cut short his annual vacation at his resort in Florida on the occasion of New Year's Eve and speeded up his return to Washington, before being followed by Vice President Mike Pence, who canceled a scheduled trip to Israel.

In the final months of 2020, the United States sent an additional 2,000 soldiers and an additional fleet of warplanes to Saudi Arabia, and it also deployed three long-range B-52 bombers in the vicinity of Iran. Some former and current officials analyzed that the Trump administration stopped the briefings in the Pentagon for the upcoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden, with the aim of obscuring plans to carry out a major operation against Iran.

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Distorting pictures of Qassem Soleimani in the streets and squares of Gaza

Washington is ready to respond in the event that Iran attacks it in retaliation for the assassination of Soleimani
"These are worrying developments. The real danger is that each side considers - due to this escalation in tension - that the other side wants to take advantage of the situation," said Dalia Dasa Kay, a Middle East expert at the Washington-based Wilson Center Research Center. What is going on in the talks in the United States, and the reason for fear is that the Trump administration may want to benefit from his last days and may consider Iran an issue that is not yet gone. "

On Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif accused the Trump administration of trying to create a pretext for an armed conflict. He wrote on Twitter, "(It refers) intelligence information from Iraq to a conspiracy whose aim is to fabricate a pretext for war. Iran does not seek to go to war, but it will directly and openly defend its people, security, and vital interests."

Trump has presented himself as an "anti-war" populist and has avoided direct military confrontations with Iran. At the same time, however, he abandoned a nuclear agreement that his predecessor, Barack Obama, had placed with Iran and launched an attempt to tighten the screws on the country economically. Reports indicate that efforts have been made in recent weeks to persuade him not to implement his plans to strike sites used by Iran to enrich uranium.

High-ranking Iranian officials said they did not want an armed conflict, and indicated their willingness to reset relations with Washington and return to the nuclear deal when Mr. Biden takes office on January 20. But Iranian-allied militias continue to launch attacks on US bases, and the barrage of rockets fired in Baghdad was the largest in a decade. Senior Iranian officials are threatening the United States of their anger.

On Friday, the head of the Iranian judiciary, Ibrahim Raisi, said, "Those involved in this crime and the assassination will not be safe anywhere on the planet," and pledged "the determination (of Iran and its allies) to take vigorous revenge" for the assassination.

He added, "Advice to the enemy: Do not think that anyone who appears in the form of a criminal American president or a murder planner will be immune to justice."

 The last round of strikes between Iran and the United States began on December 20, but experts note that the two countries have been on the path of confrontation since 2019, when a barrage of missiles fell on a base containing American forces in Iraq, and an American military contractor died. The killing of Soleimani by a drone a week after this incident near Baghdad International Airport led to a fierce Iranian missile attack on the Ain al-Assad base run by US forces in western Iraq. Dozens of members of the military forces were wounded in the attack. 

This was followed by a torrent of sabotage attacks that lasted for months and targeted Iranian nuclear and missile facilities and energy facilities by the United States and Israel, according to reports, and alleged cyber attacks targeting the United States and Israel by Iran, in addition to what experts described as Iranian attempts to use social media to increase political tensions. in America.  

A month ago, agents likely linked to Israel killed Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a scientist described as the father of Iran's nuclear program.

The risks are compounded by the stationing of Iranian-backed militias on one side and US military forces on the other side inside Iraq. The air strike that killed Soleimani also cleared Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, one of the leaders of Shiite militias in Iraq. His followers are eager for revenge and are maneuvering to avoid the government of Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi, who seeks to reduce the presence and influence of the militias.  

"Two competitions are taking place: the first, between the government of Baghdad headed by Kazemi, and the second, pits Iran and the United States in a confrontation on an actual Iraqi battlefield for the sake of power and influence in the country," said Ali Fathallah Nejad, a researcher at the Center for African and Middle East Studies based in Johannesburg. 

Senior officials in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps in Tehran may urge their militia allies in Iraq or Lebanon to avoid escalation with America or Israel. It is unclear whether it will comply with this request. There are experts who argue that Soleimani’s successor may not have the power or status to control young, out of control.

"Ismail Qaani tried to persuade the Iranian militias and Hezbollah not to do anything before Trump left, but I am not convinced that they are completely under Iran's control. Maybe the Revolutionary Guard has lost some of its influence," said Raz Zamat, an Iran expert at Tel Aviv University and the Institute for National Security Studies in Israel. On the part of his militia. "

Military and security experts describe the current stalemate between Iran and the United States as one of the most serious dilemmas, as neither side knows what the other intends, and both await any sign of escalation. And Iraq, caught between the two sponsors, is also watching with concern. On Thursday, the Iraqi government doubled security measures around the tight security areas that include the US embassy in central Baghdad and the international airport on the city's western edge. 

"One sees each side as it prepares to deter the other side, but every defensive move is an attack from the other side," said Dalia Dasa Kai. 

[cjdavid]

Real change, whether her in the US, or Middle East, can only happen at the end of the sword, rifle barrel, or any other kind of strike to change a tyrannical Government. “When Tyranny becomes law, Rebellion becomes Duty” Thomas Jefferson. We have approached that line here in both listed above.

[yota691]

"More important than the killing of Soleimani" ... an Iranian event that was ignored by the media

 

Free / Subtitles - Washington

04 Jan 2021

 

 

Iran "stipulates" its compliance with the nuclear agreement on Washington's return to it

In the midst of talks about the death of the commander of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Qassem Soleimani, and the anticipation of the "ignition of the war" between Tehran and Washington, many overlooked an event "more important" for the world.

The Jerusalem Post said that the "noise" of talk about the war that US President Donald Trump might wage during his remaining days in the White House against Iran, which had long threatened revenge for the killing of Soleimani, made many unaware of Tehran's decision to start enriching uranium by 20 percent for the first time. Since 2015.

It is noteworthy that enrichment, which reaches 20 percent, may lead to the manufacture of a "nuclear bomb."

 

 

Iran has stipulated its compliance with the terms of the nuclear agreement, from which Trump left in 2015, for Washington's return to full compliance with its terms.

In light of Trump's adherence to his position on the agreement, and even punishing him even other countries that kept their dealings with Tehran, the latter has violated many of its provisions several times, especially since mid-2019, but has stopped any escalation in new violations near the beginning of 2020.

But after the assassination of the head of Iran's military nuclear program, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, last November, the Iranian parliament passed a law requiring Iran to enrich uranium to 20 percent by early February 2021.

Although uranium enrichment of 90 percent is required to create a nuclear weapon, Israeli intelligence officials and nuclear weapons experts told the Jerusalem Post that the jump from 5 percent to 20 percent enrichment is of great importance, as it poses a danger to the entire world. . 

Tehran did not say when it would start enriching the 20 percent rate and its law allows it to wait until February, giving the Biden administration at least two weeks to convince it to reverse it.

 

 

The newspaper said that the announcement of the lifting of enrichment constitutes a plan to pressure the US President-elect, Joe Biden, to reach a "more appropriate" nuclear deal.

And Israel began to speak with a louder and more serious voice about a preemptive strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.

The newspaper said in this regard, "The calm on the part of Israel, Trump and Biden may be misleading," referring to the need to curb Iran's nuclear ambition.

Will Iran continue to threaten seriously? Is 20 percent a hoax? Or is it a temporary move intended to be abandoned as a concession in the near future?

The answer may be the difference between whether there will be a greater conflict with Iran in 2021.

And last Saturday, the International Atomic Energy Agency revealed that Iran had already informed it that it intends to produce uranium enriched to 20 percent, which is much higher than that stipulated in the nuclear agreement concluded between Tehran and the major countries.

A spokesman for the agency told France Press that "Iran informed the agency of its intention to enrich uranium to a rate that could reach 20 percent at the Fordo underground facility, in implementation of a law recently adopted by the Iranian parliament."

The spokesman said that the letter, dated December 31, "did not clarify when the enrichment activities would start."

The Russian ambassador to the agency, Mikhail Ulyanov, had revealed this information earlier on Twitter, referring to a report delivered by the Director General, Rafael Grossi, to the Board of Governors.

Ulyanov said in a tweet, Saturday: "Yes, we should have expected something like this, especially in light of the decision issued by the Iranian parliament, and the only question remains: Will Tehran take this step at the right time?"

Yes, we should have expected something like that, especially in the light of the law adopted recently by the Iranian Parliament. The only question is if this step is being made by Tehran on the right time? https://t.co/OrXzwsYOfz

- Mikhail Ulyanov (@Amb_Ulyanov) January 2, 2021

In Vienna, a diplomat told France Press, who asked not to be identified, that "it is an additional pressure," while Iran is increasingly freeing from its obligations.

In its latest report published in November, the agency talks about enrichment operations carried out by Iran that exceed the rate stipulated in the nuclear agreement, which is set at 3.67 percent, and not exceed 4.5 percent, while Tehran continues to adhere to the agency's strict inspection regime.

[nannab]

Thank you Yota  

[yota691]

Tension Explodes : US Sends Seven Hundred Troops and Aircraft Carrier Back Towards Iran
58,862 views•Jan 8, 2021

 

[yota691]

January 6, 2021  

Why Trump Is Sending an Aircraft Carrier Back Towards Iran

The carrier strike group spent the holidays in the distant waters and marked the New Year off the coast of Somalia to support the repositioning of about seven hundred U.S. troops to other countries in Africa. It could now be a while longer before it sails away from the region.

by Peter Suciu

 

If the Islamic Republic thought they'd seen the last of USS Nimitz (CVN-68) and its strike group near its shores, then the government in Tehran should think again. Carrier Strike Group 11 (CSG-11) has been ordered to return to the Persian Gulf, the Pentagon announced earlier this week. The strike group had last been deployed to the region in early December.

 

“Due to the recent threats issued by Iranian leaders against President [Donald] Trump and other U.S. government officials, I have ordered the USS Nimitz (CVN-68) to halt its routine redeployment,” Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller said in a statement.

 

“USS Nimitz will now remain on station in the U.S. Central Command area of operations,” Miller added. “No one should doubt the resolve of the United States of America.”

The orders to CSG-11 to remain on station in the Gulf came following vows from Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini and a senior military commander to conduct retaliatory action against the United States while marking the one-year anniversary of the killing of Iranian Quds Forces leader Qassim Suleimani. Miller’s orders reversed a Thursday statement from the Pentagon in which acting SECDEF ordered the strike group to end its deployment to U.S. Central Command and return home.

 

 

 

 

 

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Iran fires missile at mock US aircraft carrier during exercise

 

 

The carrier strike group spent the holidays in the distant waters and marked the New Year off the coast of Somalia to support the repositioning of about seven hundred U.S. troops to other countries in Africa. It could now be a while longer before it sails away from the region. The carrier, its embarked air wing and its escorts have been deployed since June, according to USNI News. Because of the added precautions due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, the sailors and Marines assigned to the strike group have also been isolated from their families since April 2020.

 

Apart from taking part in an exercise with the Indian Navy in November, and its recent mission off the Horn of Africa, the U.S. Navy carrier has been conducting operations in the Persian Gulf, North Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman since July. This has been in support of near-constant regional U.S. carrier operations in the region that began in May 2019.

Saber Rattling in the Middle East

 

Iran has called out the deployment of the carrier, and leaders from the Islamic Republic appealed to the United Nations Security Council on Thursday to stop the United States from conducting what it labeled "military adventurism," CNN reported.

Also, on Monday, Iran was reported to have begun enriching uranium to levels unseen since the 2015 nuclear deal, while its Revolutionary Guards also seized a South Korean-flagged tanker near the vital Strait of Hormuz. The seizing of the vessel MT Hankuk Chemi came as South Korea was set to send a diplomat to Tehran to discuss releasing billions of dollars in Iranian assets frozen in Seoul.

 

The Iranians have claimed to have taken control of the vessel in response to its “polluting the Persian Gulf with chemicals.” In response, Seoul has deployed the Choi Young, a destroyer carrying members of the South Korean military’s Cheonghae anti-piracy unit. While there are reported to be no plans to conduct a military operation at this point to free the crew, the sending of the destroyer—along with the arrival of a U.S. carrier strike group should be a strong message to Tehran.