Iran attacks Iraqi bases housing US troops for Soleimani’s death

Iran struck back at the United States early Wednesday for killing a top Revolutionary Guards commander, firing a series of ballistic missiles at two military bases in Iraq housing American troops in a major escalation between the two longtime foes.

Iranian state tv reported that “at least 80” US soldiers were killed in the attack, adding that it achieved to inflict “big damages” to U.S. drones, helicopters and equipment at the Ain Assad airbase.”

Ain Assad airbase is located in Iraq’s western Anbar province. It was first used by American forces after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein.

The airbase later saw American troops amid the fight against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

Germany condemned the missile strike on Wednesday. with Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer saying the government “rejects this  aggression in the sharpest possible terms.”

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: “We condemn this attack on Iraqi military bases housing coalition forces, including the British,” expressing “concern” over “reports of the wounded and the use of ballistic missiles.”

The Pentagon confimed that there were no U.S. casualties among the dead in the attack, while France, Germany, Poland, Denmark and Finland all announced that none of their nationals were killed.

Speaking on Wednesday, Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khameini branded the U.S. “liars” and described an Iranian attack on bases in Iraq where American soldiers were stationed on Wednesday as a “slap in the face” that were “not sufficient” retaliation for the death of General Qassem Soleimani.

In a speech regularly interrupted by cries of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” from the huge crowd in Qom, Khameini said that governments and people “do not approve” of U.S. presence the Middle East. “America is the enemy, you know this very well,” he said.

In a further tribute to Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike January 3, he described the general as a “great martyr” and a “kind brother”.

A cow for milking’

“His martyrdom means that our revolution is alive. There are some people who want to pretend that the revolution has died in Iran. His martyrdom indicates the fact that the revolution is alive.”

On Iraq, Khameini said that the US wants Iraq to be “a cow for milking” and is only interested in Iraqi oil.

While the attack wlll serve to increase tensions in the region following the death of Soleimani, it may not be followed by a further escalation, said Michael Horowitz, head of intelligence at LeBeck International in Behrain.

“By striking so quickly and overtly, while also sending the message that Iran “does not want war,” I think Tehran wants to swiftly close the door to any further escalation, rather than letting tensions linger for months,” he said.

“The ball is in Trump’s court. Going by his response to the attack (stating that “all is well”), and given that there were no US casualties, I think there is a higher chance that the US will not respond in an escalatory manner – but Trump has also proven to extremely unpredictable.”

Iran’s most direct assault on U.S. since 1979

It was Iran’s most direct assault on America since the 1979 seizing of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, and Iranian state TV said it was in revenge for the U.S. killing of Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani, whose death last week in an American drone strike near Baghdad prompted angry calls to avenge his slaying. A U.S. and Iraqi officials said there were no immediate reports of casualties, though buildings were still being searched.

Iran’s foreign minister Javad Zarif tweeted shortly after the rocket launch, saying that the action were “measures in self-defense” under Article 51 of the UN Charter. He added that Iran does “not seek escalation.”

The strikes, which came as Iran buried Soleimani, raised fears that the two longtime foes were closer to war. But there were some indications that there would not be further retaliation on either side, at least in the short term.

‘All is well!’ President Donald Trump tweeted shortly after the missile attacks, adding, ‘So far, so good’ regarding casualties. Moments earlier, Iran’s foreign minister tweeted that Tehran had taken “& concluded proportionate measures in self-defence,” adding that Tehran did “not seek escalation” but would defend itself against further aggression.

Iran initially announced only one missile strike, but U.S. officials confirmed both. U.S. defence officials were at the White House, likely to discuss options with Trump, who launched the attack on Soleimani while facing an upcoming impeachment trial in the Senate.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned the U.S. and its regional allies against retaliating over the missile attack against the Ain al-Asad airbase in Iraq’s western Anbar province. The Guard issued the warning via a statement carried by Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency.

“We are warning all American allies, who gave their bases to its terrorist army, that any territory that is the starting point of aggressive acts against Iran will be targeted,” the Guard said. It also threatened Israel.

After the strikes, a former Iranian nuclear negotiator posted a picture of the Islamic Republic’s flag on Twitter, appearing to mimic Trump who posted an American flag following the killing of Soleimani and others Friday.

Ain al-Asad airbase was first used by American forces after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein, and later saw American troops stationed there amid the fight against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria. It houses about 1,500 U.S. and coalition forces. The U.S. also acknowledged another missile attack targeting a base in Irbil in Iraq’s semiautonomous Kurdish region.

The Iranians fired a total of 15 missiles, two U.S. officials said. Ten hit Ain al-Asad and one the base in Irbil. Four failed, said the officials, who were not authorized to speak publicly about a military operation.

Two Iraqi security officials said at least one of the missiles appeared to have struck a plane at the Ain al-Asad base, igniting a fire. There were no immediate reports of casualties from the attacks, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they had no permission to brief journalists.

About 70 Norwegian troops also were on the airbase but no injuries were reported, Brynjar Stordal, a spokesperson for the Norwegian Armed Forces told The Associated Press.

Trump visited the sprawling Ain al-Asad airbase, about 100 miles or 60 kilometres west of Baghdad, in December 2018, making his first presidential visit to troops in the region. Vice President Mike Pence also has visited the base.

“As we evaluate the situation and our response, we will take all necessary measures to protect and defend U.S. personnel, partners and allies in the region,” said Jonathan Hoffman, an assistant to the U.S. defence secretary.

Wednesday’s revenge attack happened a mere few hours after crowds in Iran mourned Soleimani at his funeral. It also came the U.S. continued to reinforce its own positions in the region and warned of an unspecified threat to shipping from Iran in the region’s waterways, crucial routes for global energy supplies. U.S. embassies and consulates from Asia to Africa and Europe issued security alerts for Americans. The FAA also warned of a “potential for miscalculation or misidentification” for civilian aircraft in the Persian Gulf amid in an emergency flight restriction.