Continuing to stoke fears of possible Iranian attacks, anonymous US officials told CNN on Thursday that what they described as “Iranian-backed” militias in Iraq have moved to a “heightened level of preparation.”
One official told CNN that there are “indications” of militia preparations. But the official offered no further detail, and CNN said there were no “specific indications that any decision to attack has been made.”
On Thursday, Politico also published a story citing an anonymous official who made a similar warning. The official told Politico that the Pentagon is closely watching “troubling indicators of potential attack preparations” in Iraq.
Since Iranian scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was killed in an apparent Israeli plot, anonymous US and Israeli officials have been warning of imminent Iranian attacks. But Iran seems keen to avoid a military conflict with the US.
Fakhrizadeh was killed after a report said President Trump reviewed options to attack an Iranian nuclear facility. Israel seemed to take the news as a signal to escalate tensions in the region, while Iran preached caution to its allies.
In November, an Iranian general delivered a message to Iran’s allies and Shia militias in Iraq not to attack the US in the coming months. Demonstrating that not all Shia militias in Iraq are a monolith or aligned with Iran, one militia leader rejected Iran’s warning.
In response to Iran’s message, the leader of the Shia Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia said, “The Americans occupy our country, not yours. We will not listen to you anymore because our motives are 100 percent nationalist.”
Despite the different factions within the Shia militias, any violence in Iraq against the US between now and January 20th will almost certainly be blamed on Iran.
On Thursday, the US flew two B-52 bombers into the Persian Gulf, near Iranian airspace. It was the second time in only three weeks Washington deployed long-range bombers to the region.
Sounds like a plan to send back the troops.
Trump didn’t pull out completely, leaving him on the hook for ‘weakening’ Iraq.
Had Trump been able to pull out completely, Trump would be a hero for ending a war. Iraq could take the blame for security failings, but then, there likely wouldn’t be any with no U.S. troops hostage.
The smart neocon psychos love those little reality inversions.
Psychos all busy with their own problems staying out of jail, except new Biden team of war/Money lovers. Could he really be worse than the soon 2b former commandr & chief for me, & us? The anti war crowd…?????
That really depends on if you’re really antiwar or just relieving tension and guilt over being a beneficiary of an imperialized world and not really wanting NOT to be a beneficiary of an imperialized world.
Harris-Biden will likely be be far worse than Trump, but they face real economic constraints on foreign warmaking. This does not impede a domestic repression agenda though.
For those who like venting antiwar platitudes and anti-Americanisms, it’ll seem like sound-big, do-nothing old times for a while. For those who don’t like the hollow ring, dropping out is an attractive recourse, and discourse including journalism will continue to backslide from the lack of critical response.
It won’t be old times forever though. Big Brother could tolerate dissent, but tech today empowers Little Brothers in the system, and they need their empowerment kicks moreso than those with real power.
The narrative will likely eventually demand recognition that ‘everything is awesome #1984 rocks’. What is projected by our propagandists as Chinese repression, is our likely our real future.
The left and right have already had their respective versions of wartime ‘fight commies’ mentality hard-baked into them by their social civil war.
In any war, truth and freedom are the first casualties, and the Trump Presidency for all its very real shortcomings, is a casualty of that. Trump wasn’t warmongery enough.
” but tech today empowers Little Brothers in the system ”
via Facebook and Twitter ? Even the appearance of empowerment has now gone.
Voluntary, not even as part of the Deep State cyber forces, legions of politically correct NPCS preen on forums, censor from moderator chairs and cancel whole channels.
Big Brother’s Little Fanboys have never had it so good.
Yeah, I agree with you on the likely outcomes, but not on the insincere motivations of Those of us opposed to the imperial war machine e.g. “those who like venting antiwar platitudes and anti-Americanisms,” The war profiteers of all stripes see ANY impediment to the rape & pillage of the globe as anti American. But the global war & klepyomania only profits the few. The vast majority of Americans are ripped off by the 3/4 of Fed tax $ that enriches the killer establish- ment. Over a trillion next year and beyond. What does peace get..??? So we grumble, also as a way to connect with fellow antiware believers. Find fault with the killer looters that wrecked Libya and stole the whole place. Not us who complain.
How many antiwar veteran posters, wholly cognisant of what a psyop is, transparently and with eyes open joined in the never-Trump psyop?
All for police statist warmongers Harris-Biden. There was never a realistic third choice.
How many veteran antiwar posters, despite knowing about colour revolutions and cheated elections fostered by the U.S. and NATO abroad, refuse to see the same obvious pattern repeated in the U.S. 2020 election?
There are few explanations that don’t rhyme with ‘complicity’. Stupid, does not work.
“Anonymous officials” .. sounds like we are being set up for another USS Liberty situation.
Just a little reminder to Iran about where they’d better spend some of that unfrozen JCPOA cash.
It is the US which broke its agreements with Asaib Ahl al-Haq and the sovereign government of Iraq itself, in a determined plot to affect this situation. Now, it certainly won’t take much effort to play the “Hamas card” and send some rockets to the Green Zone, producing the desired result – then, Iran has the most difficult decision of its existence to make, and if they fight, so does Russia.
Russia will very happily enjoy the situation-they would like to see the US embroiled in another no win draining conflict. They can appear to befriend Iran-selling them weapons to line their own pockets and support their own MIC.Russian remembers WW2 and their traumas in Afghanistan-they wont take big risks for little gain
https://ejmagnier.com/2020/12/12/venezuela-an-operational-stage-for-russia-and-iran-to-challenge-the-usa/
Russia, Iran, Venezuela, oil, SU-30s, S-300s, and perhaps hypersonic missiles.
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2020/12/03/pilots-maintainers-are-worn-out-and-under-trained-aviation-safety-commission-says/
It’s somewhat difficult to believe our military aviation units are this unprepared.
Iran is a neighbor of Iraq, and despite the USA trying to destroy Iran in the 1980s by helping Iraq at that time, the invasion of 2003 and ever since has given Iran many more ties with Iraq, so of course the USA cannot stop the constant interference.
Go HOME YANKS! Try to help your own failing country!!!