Iran VP denies Tehran behind attack inside Iraq

Al-Monitor – Iranian officials have reiterated comments by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that they will not start the war but will fight back against an invasion. REUTERS/Omar SanadikiIranian Vice President Eshag Jahanghiri leaves the plane upon his arrival at Damascus international airport in Damascus, Syria, Jan. 28, 2019.

After the United States struck a number of Iraqi bases of an Iran-backed Iraqi group that is part of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) following an attack on an American base, Iranian officials and media again became consumed with Iran-US tensions. 

After the United States attacked bases belonging to Kataib Hezbollah, killing 25 and injuring dozens, PMU backers attacked the US Embassy in Baghdad. Many analysts believe the recent events in Iraq are part of an ongoing proxy war between Iran and the United States.

Vice President Eshag Jahanghiri said Jan. 2 of US accusations that an Iran-backed group was behind the initial attack on the US base, “That American officials see Iran as responsible for the attack in Iraq and use that as an excuse to bomb innocent people is a big lie. There is not a more peace-seeking nation than Iran.” He added, “Iran will stand with an iron fist against any invaders.”

Hossein Salami, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said Jan. 2, “The Hashd Shaabi [PMU] played the primary role in defeating the [Islamic State] but America bombed them on their own soil and the root of these protests is this behavior by the US.”ALSO READGULFYemeni local tribal mediation succeeds in releasing 135 prisoners

On the possibility of a direct US-Iran military confrontation, Salami said, “Iran has never been the one to begin the war but it will destroy any invader and America knows this.” He continued, “We are ready to defeat America and are not worried about American threats and it is they who should be worried. Today we are at the peak of our strength and it is they who must conduct talks correctly.” 

Salami’s comments regarding threats were a reference to tweets by President Donald Trump after the United States carried out airstrikes against Kaitab Hezbollah in Iraq and Syria. Trump tweeted, “Iran will be held fully responsible for lives lost, or damage incurred, at any of our facilities. They will pay a very big price. This is not a warning, it is a threat.”

In a rare case of Twitter interaction between the leaders of the two countries, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei tweeted in response to Trump’s threats, “You can’t do anything.” Khamenei added, “If you were logical — which you are not — you’d see that your crimes in Iraq, Afghanistan … have made nations hate you.” 

The tweets from Khamenei’s office were taken from his Jan. 1 speech addressing Trump, the United States and the possibility of war with the United States. Khamenei said during that speech that the “Iranian nation deeply condemns the [US] crime against Hashd Shaabi.” Khamenei added, “If the Islamic Republic decides to fight a country, it will do so quickly.” He added, “We will not take the country in the direction of war but if others want to impose something on us, will stand against them with strength.”   Found in:IRAN-US TENSIONS