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Relax, It’s A Staged Attack To Save Face!! – Iran Launched 22 Missiles Against US Military Bases … With Zero Casualty



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Jan 08 2020
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Iran fired more than a dozen ballistic missiles against U.S. bases in Iraqi early morning Wednesday local time. Some pro-Iranian websites claimed at least 30 missiles had been launched in what appeared to be “fast and furious” revenge over the stunning assassination of Iranian top military commander Qassem Soleimani. But there’s just one problem with the retaliation – zero casualty.

 

Clearly, the attack by Iran on United States and coalition forces stationed at bases in Iraq was carefully done to prevent killing any US troops. After all, what were the chances that out of the 22 missiles unleashed, none of them hit the target? At best, the attacks were staged to send a message to the military superpower U.S. that Iran could hit the American troops, if they wanted to.

 

At worst, however, the so-called ballistic missiles drama shows Iran’s weakness – they dare not kill any American soldiers despite the sitting ducks in their backyard. More importantly, the missiles were launched so that Iran can claim some sort of victory to “save face” after making some bold revenge statements. It was to appease the Iranian people.

Iran Attacks US Military Base - 22 Missiles But Zero Casualty

Amusingly, Iranian state television claimed that at least 80 “American terrorists” were killed in the missile attacks. The propaganda outlet also said none of the 18 missiles launched were intercepted. To make the claims more dramatic, the state media also claimed that many U.S. helicopters and military equipment were “severely damaged”.

 

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei proudly declared in a speech broadcast live on state television that “a slap in the face was delivered” after the Islamic republic fired missiles at two Iraqi military bases housing U.S. forces – the Al Asad and Erbil military bases – in retaliation for the US MQ9 Reaper drone airstrike that killed Iranian hero Soleimani last week.

 

However, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, while defending Iran’s attack, was quick to prevent any misunderstanding that Iran was challenging the U.S. for a full blown war, saying –  “we do not seek escalation or war, but will defend ourselves against any aggression”. He also distanced Iran from the proxy groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon, which is considered as a terrorist organization by the U.S.

Donald Trump - Thumbs Up and Kiss

President Trump tweeted – “All is well! Missiles launched from Iran at two military bases located in Iraq. Assessment of casualties and damages are 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.” The message suggests that no American was harmed in the attack.

 

Donald Trump appears to be happy and satisfied that his threat has been taken seriously, including hitting 52 targets in Iran – “very fast and very hard” – if the country attacks U.S. assets in retaliation. The president also understood that the missile attacks were nothing but a stunt for Iran to let off steam, and to convince Iranians that something has been done to avenge the death of Soleimani.

 

It’s highly likely that the U.S. military bases in Iraq had an early warning system which could have had detected the missiles launched by Iran. The missiles used included Qiam-1, a short-range Scud variant that has guided systems. Hence, its heat signatures could be detected by the Defense Special Missile and Aerospace Center, known as DEFSMAC.

Iran Missile Attack On US Military Bases - Map

Iran General Qassem Soleimani Killed By US MQ9 Reaper Drone

Interestingly, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi received a tip-off from Iran, informing him of an imminent incoming missile attack as retaliation to the U.S. killing of Soleimani. The Iraqi leader simultaneously received a call from the U.S. while missiles were raining down on the two air bases – suggesting that American troops got a heads up about the attacks.

 

Still, the attacks spooked the stock market when the Dow futures briefly fell more than 400 points before recovering. Prices of crude oil and gold immediately spiked as investors rush for the safe haven assets. All eyes will be on the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s busiest sea route for oil. Will Iran dare to militarily shut down the Strait where a fifth of global oil supply passes through?

 

After the missile attacks, is this the end of Iran’s retaliation? Ayatollah Ali Khameni said Iran’s real revenge would be forcing the U.S. to leave the region. So, the revenge was not about “an eye for an eye”, but to kick the Yankees out of Iraq. On Sunday, Iraqi MPs aligned to Iran passed a non-binding resolution calling for foreign troops to leave.

US Airbase of Ain al-Asad in Iraq

But Trump has threatened severe sanctions against Iraq if the country asked U.S. forces to depart on an unfriendly basis. He said – “We have a very extraordinarily expensive air base that’s there. It cost billions of dollars to build. We’re not leaving unless they pay us back for it”. About 5,000 U.S. soldiers are stationed in Iraq as part of the international coalition against the Islamic State (IS) terror group.

 

It’s up to President Donald Trump, as the Commander-in-Chief, to decide if the missile attacks have crossed the red line, and retaliate accordingly. Washington insisted that an attack General Qassem Soleimani was planning against Americans was expected to happen within days; therefore he had to be neutralised. The U.S. has also questioned the reasons why a top Iranian general was in Iraq.

 

South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham said after the attacks that the missile strikes were an “act of war” and said Trump had all the power he needed to act. Perhaps Iran should take note that they fought the Iraqi army to a draw over 8 years from 1980 to 1988. The 2003 invasion of Iraq led by the U.S. took only just over a month. Trump is begging for a war to get re-elected.

Iran Top General Qassem Soleimani - Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Coincidentally, a Ukrainian Airlines Boeing 737 caught fire and crashed near Tehran, killing all 177 passengers and crew, raising speculation that Iranian missiles might have accidentally – even purposely – shot down the commercial plane. Iran quickly blamed technical failure and an engine fire for the crash. The victims included 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, 3 from Britain and the remainder from Sweden, Afghanistan, and Germany.

 

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