On January 3, the US assassinated Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, and very nearly started a war. With the anniversary looming, the US seems to expect something to happen, or at the very least is taking the opportunity to threaten retaliation if Iran tries to retaliate for the killing.
In reality, there is no sign Iran is planning anything, and indeed they already retaliated in the weeks after the assassination, firing missiles at a base in Iraq that housed US troops. That was to be the end of it, both sides agreed.
But with US hostility toward Iran, it’s never really the end of it, and even with Iran publicly discouraging its allies from attacking the US, trying to prevent a war during the US post-election transition.
That’s a pretty clear sign Iran isn’t planning anything, but US officials clearly believe they haven’t threatened Iran enough recently, so this is as good an excuse as any. Making up something Iran isn’t doing for the sake of saber-rattling is just par for the course, raising concern that the US may use this imagined threat as a pretext to act.
For Iran, this is just a continuation of the threat of the US attacking before Trump leaves office, something that was always there. Their goal, however, is to avoid that, and hope for better diplomacy with Biden.
What a joke. We murder your generals (who, by the way, was in Iraq as an invited diplomat for talks with a Saudi representative on neutral ground in an attempt to ease tensions), but if you respond, war.
The headline made me think the author didn’t know the assassination took place almost a year ago. I guess we ran out of people, places and things to sanction in Iran so we had to threaten them with something. C’mon Iran take the god damn bait.
It happened earlier this year. I was on the treadmill at the gym when the news broke.
The US/Israel are constantly trying to draw Iran into war, the World can see this but says nothing. Last week they sent B52’s out there, plus U2’s and a Global Hawk drone.
The people who make these decisions are the wrong type of people to be part of any decision making process.
This just reminds me of “Doctor Strangelove”.
Iran awaits Biden policy before any revenge…!
Yes, they will give him a chance.
What he makes of that chance is the issue.
I have a moderately long list of those they could kill in fair response to this murder. That is how such things were handled during the Cold War, and why the assassinations did not get too far out of hand then.
I’d like to see that list.
Good luck to Biden, he deserves a few kudos for displacing the walking sideshow Too bad Biden brings all of Hillary”s crazed “Confront Putin” Neocons spoiling for fight with someone to show how strong their leadership can be. Strong like the stink of sh1t in my opinion. Do they really think they have lost and the only honorable way to end the game is to break all the pieces. Where would they live if things didn’t go their way. If one of their little wars were to go terribly wrong and kill a few million of their fellow citizebns, Who’s family’would safe from ordinary#
If an Iranian war vessel, loaded with missiles, motored its way into the Gulf of Mexico, what would we do? If Iran knocked off one of our generals, what would we do?