ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – US President Donald Trump has warned Iran will pay a “heavy price” if US troops in Iraq come under further attack as Iran threatens must accept the consequences of its “illegal presence” in Iraq.
The US and Iran have been at loggerheads since May 2019, when Trump withdrew from the landmark 2015 nuclear deal and imposed crippling sanctions on Tehran as part of a maximum pressure campaign.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Trump said that Washington has evidence Iran is planning further attacks on troops stationed in Iraq, just months after a spate of rocket attacks on Iraqi military bases sent tensions flying between Washington and Tehran.
The threats come as the new head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force Esmail Ghaani arrived in Baghdad to unite the country’s Shiite forces as Iraqi political parties bicker over the formation of the next government.
“This is his first test to see if he can succeed in uniting the Shiite position, as Soleimani was doing,” a Shiite official told AP on the condition of anonymity.
The US assassination of IRGC Commander Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad on January 3 has prompted various attacks on US forces by Iran-backed militia groups in Iraq, the latest injuring several troops at Taji base, north of Baghdad on March 14. Three days earlier, two Americans were killed in an attack at the same location.
"We don't want hostility, but if they are hostile to us, they're going to regret it like they've never regretted anything before," he said of Iran at a White House press briefing on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Earlier in the day, he tweeted that Iran would pay a “heavy price” if US forces in Iraq came under further attack.
The threats follow fresh sanctions on individuals and groups suspected of supporting the IRGC and Iran-backed militias in Iraq.
There are roughly 5,000 US troops stationed in Iraq advising and assisting Iraqi and Kurdish forces as part of the Global Coalition Against Daesh (Islamic State). The US is now reducing its presence at bases across the country, citing the success of local security forces in fighting the terror group.
US-led coalition forces have handed over three bases to Iraqi security forces in the past week. Despite the reductions, Iranian officials have warned the US they must “accept the consequences” over their continued presence in Iraq.
Fomer IRGC commander and a top advisor to the Supreme Leader Yahya Rahim Safavi on Wednesday threatened the US over its “illegal presence in Iraq” after Baghdad parliamentarians called for the departure of foreign troops in January.
“If the administration does not abide by international agreements and regulations, they must accept the consequences of their illegal presence and the occupation of Iraqi soil. The legitimate and legal defense of the people, the government and the Iraqi army against the wickedness and the adventures of America is inevitable,” he was quoted by IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News as saying.
“The perpetuation of tension given the continued US occupation is not unexpected and the Islamic Republic of Iran’s policy is to defend the government, the parliament, the people of Iraq and the Iraqi legal rights.”
Foreign Minister Javad Zarif also responded to Trump’s comments, labelling Trump a “warmonger.”
Don’t be mislead by usual warmongers, AGAIN, @realDonaldTrump:
— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) April 2, 2020
Iran has FRIENDS: No one can have MILLIONS of"proxies"
Unlike the US—which surreptitiously lies, cheats & assassinates—Iran only acts in self-defense. Openly
Iran starts no wars, but teaches lessons to those who do
Analysts have warned the US against further violence, arguing that aggression is diminishing Washington’s regional influence.
“If this cycle continues- it will end disastrously for both the United States and Iraq,” said analysts from the International Crisis Group on Monday.
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