Tag: Trump-created Iran crisis

Could Iran-US tensions mean troubled waters ahead in the Strait of Hormuz?

Soaring tensions between Iran and the United States have reignited fears that the Strait of Hormuz could become a flashpoint as Tehran responds to the killing of its top general.

Oil prices climbed on news of the fatal airstrike, reflecting concern that any fallout could disrupt shipping in the narrow seaway through which 21% of the world’s crude oil passes.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Maritime Administration issued an alertover potential Iranian action against “maritime interests in the region” and the U.K. announced that the Royal Navy would resume escorting vessels through the Strait of Hormuz as a precaution. Continue reading.

Conservative attorney explains why Trump and Pompeo’s justification for Soleimani killing should ‘concern every American’

AlterNet logoAlthough Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani was by no means the first adversary of the U.S. killed during a military operation, his death is inspiring a great deal of debate — even among blistering critics of the Iranian government. Conservative attorney/journalist Philip Rotner considers Soleimani’s death a troubling development in U.S. foreign policy, and he explains in a January 8 article for The Bulwark why the justification being offered by President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo should “concern every American.”

Founded by two anti-Trump conservatives, Charles Sykes and neocon Bill Kristol, in December 2018, The Bulwark is hardly a journal of pacifists and has a generally more hawkish perspective than, say, Antiwar.com (a decidedly isolationist/paleoconservative right-wing website known for its contributions from Patrick Buchanan, former Rep. Ron Paul and others). But Soleimani’s killing, Rotner stresses, is problematic in many respects.

“President Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are justifying the targeted killing of the commander of Iran’s Quds Force, Qasem Soleimani, in terms that should concern every American,” Rotner explains. Continue reading.

GOP senators call on Trump to de-escalate tensions with Iran

The Hill logoRepublican senators are calling for the Trump administration to ratchet down tensions with Iran in the wake of missile attacks Tuesday night on two Iraqi bases that house U.S. personnel.

The public signaling from GOP lawmakers comes as they await Trump’s reactions to the strikes.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a top ally of Trump’s in the Senate, said in a string of tweets that “retaliation for the sake of retaliation is not necessary at this time.” Continue reading.

Impeachment trial complicates efforts to rein in Trump on Iran

The Hill logoThe looming impeachment trial in the Senate is threatening to cut short a debate over President Trump’s war powers.

The airstrike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad last week has sparked fierce criticism on Capitol Hill about Trump’s authority to carry out military actions against Iran without congressional approval, reigniting a long-stalled debate about a new authorization for the use of military force.

The House is set to vote this week on a war powers resolution. Sen. Tim Kaine(D-Va.) has introduced a similar measure, but it cannot be brought up for a vote in the Senate until mid-January at the earliest. Continue reading.

Pompeo Upended Middle East by Pushing Trump to Kill Iranian General

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is struggling to manage the widening fallout from the drone strike on Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani.

New York Times logoWASHINGTON — Last week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was the loudest voice in the administration pushing President Trump to kill Iran’s most important general. This week, he is back in his role as the nation’s top diplomat, trying to contain the international crisis the general’s death created.

True to form, Mr. Pompeo is not backing down. “You saw, more tactically, just these last few days the president’s response when the Iranians made a bad decision to kill an American,” he told reporters at the State Department on Tuesday, referring to a deadly rocket attack in Iraq on Dec. 27 by an Iran-backed militia. “We hope they won’t make another bad decision just like that one.”

The strike against the Iranian general has affirmed Mr. Pompeo’s position as the second-most powerful official in the Trump administration, behind only the president himself. A hawk brimming with bravado and ambition, Mr. Pompeo is ostensibly the cabinet member who smooths America’s relations with the rest of the world. Continue reading.

Pompeo Flees Questions About Trump War Crime Threats

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo abruptly ended a State Department briefing on Tuesday and walked off, refusing to answer follow-up questions on Donald Trump’s threats to Iranian cultural sites.

At the Tuesday briefing, Pompeo was asked by NBC reporter Andrea Mitchell whether he would push back against a demand from Trump to target cultural sites in Iran after the Pentagon said on Monday it would refuse orders to attack such sites, noting that it would violate international law.

Mitchell specifically cited comments from Trump on Sunday aboard Air Force One justifying attacks on cultural sites. Continue reading.

Mike Pompeo is ‘all in for war’ with Iran — recalling Cheney and Rumsfeld before 2003 Iraq ‘debacle’: national affairs correspondent

AlterNet logoAs tensions between the United States and Iran continue to escalate following the drone attack that killed Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani, one of the most visible cheerleaders of that escalation is Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Journalist Joan Walsh, in a January 7 article for The Nation, notes the troubling parallels between Pompeo beating the war drum in 2020 and members of the Bush Administration pushing for the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

“The secretary of state is normally in charge of diplomacy,” Walsh asserts, “but Pompeo seems all in for war, and he’s peddling it with the same mix of mendacity and recklessness the George W. Bush crew used to justify their 2003 Iraq debacle.”

Walsh notes that on Friday, January 3, Pompeo claimed, “I saw last night, there was dancing in the streets in parts of Iraq. We have every expectation that people not only in Iraq, but in Iran, will view the American action last night as giving them freedom.” Continue reading.

Trump says “all is well” after Iranian strikes on bases hosting U.S. troops

Axios logoPresident Trump tweeted Tuesday night “all is well” following the Iranian strikes on two Iraqi bases where U.S. troops are stationed.

Why it matters: This is the closest the current U.S.-Iran standoff has come to war, with Iran retaliating directly against the U.S. for the killing of Gen. Qasem Soleimani. However, there were no immediate reports of casualties at the bases, and Trump has appeared to signal restraint.

“All is well! Missiles launched from Iran at two military bases located in Iraq. Assessment of casualties & damages taking place now. So far, so good! We have the most powerful and well equipped military anywhere in the world, by far! I will be making a statement tomorrow morning.”

— Trump on Twitter

Trump thought Suleimani’s death would personally benefit him — but it’s backfiring

AlterNet logoIt’s becoming clearer by the hour. There was no legitimate reason for Donald Trump to order the military assassination of Iran’s top general, Qassem Soleimani.

The allegation that Soleimani was planning an offensive against Americans is turning out to be malarkey. That he deserved death isn’t reason enough. Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama chose not to target him. They feared what might happen.

With Soleimani dead, ISIS is set for a comeback. Syria’s Bashar Al-Assad will regain lost strength. Iran says it will restart nuclear weapons development. Iraqi politicians are pushing for US troops to exit, leaving Kurdish allies to face threats of genocide. Continue reading.

Europeans shift troops from Iraq, warn fight against Islamic State is imperiled because of U.S. actions

Washington Post logoBRUSSELS — U.S. allies said Tuesday that they were reducing and repositioning troops inside Iraq amid fears that Iran will retaliate for the killing of Qasem Soleimani, one of its most senior military officials, in a U.S. airstrike.

Some European diplomats expressed fears that the shifting of troops would diminish their ability to fight the Islamic State.

Militants “would be the only winners” of a full-blown war as a result of U.S.-Iran tensions, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Tuesday, singling out the Islamic State as having the most to gain. Continue reading.