Iran’s Supreme Leader Slams US Attacks in Iraq

Khamenei denies Iranian role in embassy protests


Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued statements on Wednesday deeply critical of the weekend US attacks in Iraq and Syria, saying that the Iranian government condemns the attacks on the Iraqi Shi’ite militias.

Khamenei suggested the US was “taking revenge” on the militias for defeating ISIS, and dismissed President Trump’s threatening Tweets, with the message that Trump “can’t do anything,” and “if you were logical – which you’re not – you’d see that your crimes in Iraq, Afghanistan… have made nations hate you.”

The US has presented the Shi’ite militias, which are part of the Iraqi government, as Iranian proxies, and has threatened to retaliate against Iran for resisting the attacks, and for protesting at the US Embassy in Baghdad.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry denied any involvement in the protests, issuing a statement warning the US against “any ill-advised reaction or miscalculation,” and saying the White House should “reconsider its destructive policies.”

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.