Iraq between Iran’s hammer and America’s anvil

Mohamed Shaath

Iran tries to embroil Iraq in its expected showdown with the US, as a confrontation between the Islamic Republic and the superpower seemed imminent.

This is something Iraqi politicians warn against. They call for keeping Iraq away from conflicts between Iran and the US, warning that these conflicts can lead to Iraq’s destruction.

In light of Iran’s attempts to move its militias in Iraq to clash with US forces, a US State Department official confirmed that a homemade missile landed in the Green Zone near the US Embassy in Baghdad without causing any injuries.

He added that the US took the incident very seriously.

“We reiterate that attacks on American citizens or facilities will not be tolerated and will be answered in a decisive manner,” the official said.

An Iraqi security source said that a Katyusha rocket targeted the Green Zone. He added that he heard warning sirens in the vicinity of the US Embassy in Baghdad. Iraqi security forces began combing and surrounding the area.

Testing the pulse

Iraqi researcher Firas Elias told The Reference that the incident aimed at proving that Iran is capable of getting into areas controlled by the US.

The missile attack, he said, aims at testing the pulse between the two sides.

He pointed out that this step came in conjunction with the arrival of the new US ambassador in Iraq, Matthew H. Tueller who is known in Washington as the “ambassador of war”.

“These missile attacks may be a message that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards tried to send to the new ambassador,” Elias said.

He added that it is possible to say that there is a mutual desire between the US and Iranian parties not to raise the ceiling of the military confrontation to high strategic levels, which might push the two sides to engage in the policy of the edge of the abyss.

Each of the two sides recognizes the strengths and weaknesses of the other, Elias said.

Therefore, a direct confrontation, he added, seems to be incomplete.

He referred to a report by Time Magazine that cites three US military officials involved in the planning and supervision of the military forces in the Gulf region.

They say there is no feasible plan to be implemented in relation to Iran.