Iran threatens to ‘blow up the White House’ and dumps nukes deal as tensions with US reach boiling point
Multiple rockets hit near the US embassy in Baghdad, as Iran withdrew from its nuclear limits and an $80m bounty was reportedly placed on Donald Trump’s head.
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In a dramatic day of escalating tension following the US killing of Iran’s top military chief Qasem Soleimani, multiple rockets have been fired at the US Embassy in Baghdad and Iran withdrew from its nuclear limits.
Two rockets hit near the US embassy in Iraq’s capital, witnesses told AFP, hours after the ambassador was summoned over a US strike that killed top Iraqi and Iranian commanders.
The attack on Sunday (local time) was the second night in a row that the Green Zone was hit and the 14th time over the last two months that US installations have been targeted.
A third rocket simultaneously hit a family home outside the Green Zone, wounding four.
US President Donald Trump reacted with fury to the push from Iraq, a current ally of America, to oust US troops.
“If they do ask us to leave, if we don’t do it in a very friendly basis. We will charge them sanctions like they’ve never seen before, ever,” he told reporters on Air Force One.
“It’ll make Iranian sanctions look somewhat tame.”
He also doubled down on his threat to target up to 52 significant Iran targets, including cultural and religious sites.
“They’re allowed to kill our people? They’re allowed to torture and maim our people? They’re allowed to use roadside bombs and blow up our people? And we’re not allowed to touch their cultural sites? It doesn’t work that way,” he said.
Mr Trump also said he would “strike back…perhaps in a disproportionate manner” if Iran launched military action.
These Media Posts will serve as notification to the United States Congress that should Iran strike any U.S. person or target, the United States will quickly & fully strike back, & perhaps in a disproportionate manner. Such legal notice is not required, but is given nevertheless!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2020
Iran reportedly threatened to attack the White House in a “powerful retaliation” for ordering the killing of Soleimani.
Iranian Labour News Agency claimed Iranian MP Abolfazl Abutorabi reportedly made the White House threats during an open session of parliament on Sunday (local time).
“We can attack the White House itself, we can respond to them on the American soil,” he said, according to reports.
“We have the power, and God willing we will respond in an appropriate time.
“This is a declaration of war, which means if you hesitate you lose.
“When someone declares war do you want to respond to the bullets with flowers? They will shoot you in the head.”
And in a clear snub to the global community, Iran announced it has abandoned its international nuclear deal – and will no longer abide by any of the limits set out in the 2015 agreement.
Mr Trump withdrew the US from the deal in 2018.
State TV cited a statement by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s administration saying the country will not observe limitations on its enrichment, the amount of stockpiled enriched uranium as well as research and development in its nuclear activities.
Meanwhile, an $80 million bounty has reportedly been placed on Mr Trump’s head following Soleimani’s assassination.
The chilling announcement was broadcast live as millions of Iranians took to the streets for Soleimani’s televised funeral.
“Iran has 80 million inhabitants. Based on the Iranian population, we want to raise $80 million, which is a reward for those who get close to the head of President Trump,” the eulogist at the funeral procession said, according to Saudi free-to-air network Al Arabiya.
It comes after Iran’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology called Mr Trump a “terrorist in a suit” and warned that the president’s threat to target Iranian cultural sites if Tehran retaliates for the killing of a top military commander would constitute a “war crime.”
“Like ISIS, like Hitler, Like Genghis! They all hate cultures. Trump is a ‘terrorist in a suit,’” he reportedly wrote on Twitter, according to the New York Post.
“He will learn history very soon that NOBODY can defeat ‘the Great Iranian Nation & Culture.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said Mr Trump violated international law in “Friday’s cowardly assassinations” and “threatens to commit again new breaches of JUS COGENS. Targeting cultural sites is a WAR CRIME.”
“Those masquerading as diplomats and those who shamelessly sat to identify Iranian cultural & civilian targets should not even bother to open a law dictionary. Jus cogens refers to peremptory norms of international law, ie. international red lines,” Mr Zarif added. “That is, a big (ly) ‘no no’.”
WE WILL NOT LAMENT SOLEIMANI’S DEATH: BORIS
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has finally broken his silence on the execution of Qasem Soleimani – as he accused the top Iran general of being a “threat to all our interests”.
Mr Johnson had remained tight-lipped on Donald Trump’s decision to kill the military chief in an air strike in Iraq.
The PM said “we will not lament his death” after Soleimani played a “leading role” in slaughtering thousands of innocent civilians.
He called for de-escalation from all sides and revealed he had spoken with other world leaders including Trump.
Mr Johnson added in a statement: “General Qassem Soleimani posed a threat to all our interests and was responsible for a pattern of disruptive, destabilising behaviour in the region.
“It is clear however that all calls for retaliation or reprisals will simply lead to more violence in the region and they are in no-one’s interest.
“We are in close contact with all sides to encourage de-escalation.
“I will be speaking to other leaders and our Iraqi friends to support peace and stability.”
IRAN’S RESPONSE ‘WILL BE MILITARY’
It comes as the military adviser to Iran’s supreme leader said the Islamic republic’s response to a US strike that killed one of the country’s top commanders will “for sure be military”.
Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed “severe revenge” after a US drone strike on Friday in Baghdad killed Gen. Soleimani.
“The response for sure will be military and against military sites,” Brigadier General Hossein Dehghan told CNN in Farsi, according to a translation by the US news network.
Gen. Dehghan is a former defence minister and is now the main military adviser to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He told CNN that any reprisals would come from Iran itself, not its allied militia in the region.
“It might be argued that there could be proxy operations. We can say America, Mr Trump, has taken action directly against us — so we take direct action against America,” he said.
But Gen. Dehghan also said that Iran was in no hurry to retaliate and would choose its targets carefully. “Our reaction will be wise, well considered and in time, with decisive deterrent effect,” he said.
Meanwhile, in a televised press conference on Sunday (local time), foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said “Iran is not seeking a war but is ready for any situation”.
Mr Mousavi said the final decision would be made by “the system’s leadership”.
It would try to “devise a response in a way that would both make the enemy regret” the assassination and “not bring the Iranian nation to a war”.
“It was America that has started the war. Therefore, they should accept appropriate reactions to their actions,” Mr Dehghan said.
“The only thing that can end this period of war is for the Americans to receive a blow that is equal to the blow they have inflicted,” said the former Iranian defence minister.
In a statement on Friday, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said the Islamic republic would retaliate in the “right time and place” for Soleimani’s assassination.
Iran-US tensions have escalated sharply since 2018 when Mr Trump withdrew America from a landmark nuclear agreement and reimposed crippling sanctions on the Islamic republic.
IRAQ WANTS US TROOPS OUT
Iraq’s parliament called for the expulsion of US troops from the country on Sunday (local time) in reaction to the American drone attack that killed a top Iranian general.
Politicians approved a resolution asking the Iraqi government to end the agreement under which Washington sent forces to Iraq more than four years ago to help in the fight against the Islamic State group.
A pullout of the estimated 5200 US troops could cripple the fight against ISIS and allow its resurgence.
The majority of about 180 legislators present in parliament voted in favour of the resolution. It was backed by most Shiite members of parliament, who hold a majority of seats. Many Sunni and Kurdish legislators did not show up for the session, apparently because they oppose abolishing the deal. The vote came days after a US air strike killed Iranian Gen. Soleimani at the Baghdad airport, dramatically increasing regional tensions and raising fears of war. Iran has vowed revenge.
Amid Iran’s threats of vengeance, the US-led military coalition in Iraq announced on Sunday (local time) it is putting the fight against Islamic State militants on hold to focus on protecting its troops and bases. The coalition said it is suspending the training of Iraqi forces and other operations in support of the fight against ISIS.
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REGION IN ‘NEW PHASE’ AFTER STRIKE
It comes as the leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group says the US killing of Gen. Soleimani puts the entire region at the beginning of a “completely new phase.”
Speaking before thousands of supports at a rally in southern Beirut on Sunday (local time), Hassan Nasrallah has called the killing of the top Iranian general a “clear, blatant crime” that will transform the Middle East.
Nasrallah’s comments were his first public statements since Gen. Soleimani was killed by a US air strike in Iraq last Friday.
The Shiite militant group is Iran’s key proxy and most successful military export.
Nasrallah, who has been in hiding fearing Israeli assassination since 2006, spoke to supporters through a large screen via satellite link.
The daughter of Iran’s Gen. Soleimani said the death of her father will “not break us” and the United States should know that his blood will not go for free.
Zeinab Soleimani told Lebanon’s Al-Manar TV – which is linked with the Iran-backed Hezbollah group – that the “filthy” Mr Trump will not be able to wipe out the achievements of the slain Iranian leader.
In the short interview, which aired on Sunday (local time), Zeinab Soleimani said Mr Trump is not courageous because her father was targeted by missiles from afar and the US president should have “stood face-to-face in front of him.”
The young woman, who spoke in Farsi with Arabic voice over, said that she knows that Nasrallah will avenge the death of her father.
MOURNERS YELL ‘DEATH TO AMERICA’
It came as thousands of mourners chanting “America is the Great Satan” marched in a funeral procession through Baghdad for Iran’s top general Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militant leaders, who were killed in the US air strike.
The mourners, mostly men in black military fatigues, carried Iraqi flags and the flags of Iran-backed militias that are fiercely loyal to Soleimani.
They were also mourning Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a senior Iraqi militia commander who was killed in the same strike.
Two helicopters hovered over the procession, which was attended by Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi and leaders of Iran-backed militias.
The procession later made its way to the Shiite holy city of Karbala, in central Iraq.
The gates to Baghdad’s Green Zone, which houses government offices and foreign embassies, including the US Embassy, were closed.
Meanwhile, militants unfurled a blood red flag of war in Iran in a chilling display described as a warning that the Islamic Republic is ready to fulfil its worrying pledge to strike back at America.
Chillingly written across the “war flag” were the words: “Those who want to avenge the blood of Hussein.”
Red flags in Shiite tradition symbolise both blood spilt unjustly and serve as a call to avenge a person who is slain.
It was hoisted above the important Jamkaran Mosque which is on the outskirts of the holy city of Qom, about 160km south of Tehran.
Soleimani’s daughter pleaded with the Iranian president to strike back over her father’s death.
“Who is going to avenge my father’s blood?” she was reported as asking Hassan Rouhani during his visit to the family’s Tehran home.
“We will avenge, all of us will avenge his blood. Don’t you worry,” Mr Rouhani replied, according to Iraqi Kurdistan news site Rudaw.
“The Americans did not realise what a grave mistake they have made. They will suffer the consequences of such criminal measure not only today, but also throughout the years to come,’ Mr Rouhani said.
“This crime committed by the US will go down in history as one of their unforgettable crimes against the Iranian nation.”
The news came as an Iranian military leader said his forces had pinpointed dozens of US interests for attack including “destroyers and warships” near the Persian Gulf.
General Gholamali Abuhamzeh warned of a possible attack on “vital American targets” located in the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation of Soleimani’s death.
“Vital American targets in the region have been identified by Iran since long time ago … some 35 US targets in the region, as well as Tel Aviv, are within our reach,” he said.
TRUMP ISSUES WARNING
It comes Mr Trump issued a stern warning to Iran over the weekend through a series of Twitter messages intended to deter the country from retaliating after the US-ordered air strike that killed Iran’s Gen. Soleimani last week.
“Iran is talking very boldly about targeting certain USA assets as revenge for our ridding the world of their terrorist leader who had just killed an American, & badly wounded many others, not to mention all of the people he had killed over his lifetime, including recently hundreds of Iranian protesters,” Mr Trump tweeted.
The president continued: “He was already attacking our Embassy, and preparing for additional hits in other locations. Iran has been nothing but problems for many years.”
“Let this serve as a WARNING that if Iran strikes any Americans, or American assets, we have targeted 52 Iranian sites (representing the 52 American hostages taken by Iran many years ago), some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture, and those targets, and Iran itself, WILL BE HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD,” Mr Trump wrote, explicitly laying out that the US will act if Iran retaliates.
ROCKETS HIT AIR BASE
Over the weekend, tensions rose further after two rockets hit Iraq’s Al-Balad air base, where US troops are stationed, while two mortars hit Baghdad’s Green Zone, a high-security enclave housing the US embassy, security sources said.
Sirens immediately rang out at the American compound in Baghdad hosting both diplomats and troops, sources there said.
The Al-Balad base, north of Baghdad, was hit by Katyusha rockets.
The US has feared a backlash against its mission and bases where its troops are deployed across Iraq following the precision drone strike that killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani on Friday.
TRUMP DEFENDS AIR STRIKE
On Friday, Mr Trump explained why he ordered an air strike that killed Iran’s top military leader in a major escalation in Middle East tensions.
Mr Trump declared that a “reign of terror is over” as he marked the death of an Iranian general as the Pentagon scrambled to reinforce the American military presence in the Middle East in preparation for reprisals.
Mr Trump says the killing of Soleimani was not undertaken in an effort to begin a conflict with Iran.
Speaking to reporters in Florida for the first time since the drone strike on Soleimani, Mr Trump says: “We took action last night to stop a war. We did not take action to start a war.”
Mr Trump also says he does not seek regime change in Iran, but the nation’s use of “proxy fighters to destabilise its neighbours must end and it must end now.”
Mr Trump added that targets of possible retaliation have been identified “and I am ready and prepared to take whatever action is necessary.”
A statement from President @realDonaldTrump: pic.twitter.com/Jfy4GCLdif
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 3, 2020
Soleimani “made the death of innocent people his sick passion,” Mr Trump added from his estate in Palm Beach, Florida, saying “a lot of lives would have been saved” if he’d been hunted down years ago.
Mr Trump said Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps “was directly and indirectly responsible for the death of millions of people” and was planning a significant US attack before he was taken out by a rocket strike near Baghdad international airport.
Iran never won a war, but never lost a negotiation!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2020
My statement on the killing of Qassim Suleimani. pic.twitter.com/DUCVczjNzm
— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) January 3, 2020
Soleimani was a murderer, responsible for the deaths of thousands, including hundreds of Americans. But this reckless move escalates the situation with Iran and increases the likelihood of more deaths and new Middle East conflict. Our priority must be to avoid another costly war.
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) January 3, 2020
President @realDonaldTrump took decisive, preemptive action to foil a plot directed at American personnel.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 3, 2020
As to what happens next: It should be clear to Iran that President Trump will not sit idly by if our people and interests are threatened.
When I voted against the war in Iraq in 2002, I feared it would lead to greater destabilization of the region. That fear unfortunately turned out to be true.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) January 3, 2020
The U.S. has lost approximately 4,500 brave troops, tens of thousands have been wounded, and we’ve spent trillions.
reposting due to typo
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) January 3, 2020
FICTION: This is Trumps fault for pulling us out of #IranDeal
FACT: Soleimani & Quds Force never stopped trying to kill Americans,before,during or after “dealâ€
The only impact Iran Deal had on Soleimani was providing him more cash to fund his operations
* Me trying to have a Positive and Happy start to 2020 *
— Salman Abjani (@SalmanAbjani) January 3, 2020
World War 3 : #WWIII pic.twitter.com/Vg6Eu0UntT
‘DANGEROUS WORLD’: GLOBAL LEADERS REACT
China, Russia and France, all permanent members of the UN Security Council have taken dim view of the US air strike near Baghdad airport early on Friday that killed General Qassem Soleimani.
FRANCE: “We are waking up in a more dangerous world. Military escalation is always dangerous,” said deputy minister for foreign affairs Amelie de Montchalin.
RUSSIA: The Foreign Ministry, through an unnamed diplomat quoted by the state-run Tass news agency, condemned the killing as “an adventurism step that would lead to growing tensions throughout the entire region”.
CHINA: “Peace in the Middle East and the Gulf region should be preserved,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said. “We urge all parties concerned, especially the United States, to maintain calm and restraint and avoid further escalation of tensions.”
SYRIA: Called the act a “dangerous escalation” in the region. “Syria condemns in the strongest terms the American criminal aggression,” a Foreign Ministry official said.
EUROPEAN UNION: Charles Michel, president of the European Council, urged all parties involved to avoid further escalation “at all cost”, adding that the risk of the recent cycle of violence “is a generalised flare-up of violence in the whole region”.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES The minister of state for foreign affairs Anwar Gargash called for rational engagement and a “calm approach, free of emotion”.
ISRAEL: Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the air strike, saying Mr Trump “deserves all the credit for acting swiftly, forcefully and decisively”.
UNITED NATIONS: The UN secretary-general urged leaders to “exercise maximum restraint”. Antonio Guterres stressed that “the world cannot afford another war in the Gulf”, UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said in a statement.
UNITED KINGDOM: The British government said “further conflict is in none of our interests” but Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab added that “we have always recognised the aggressive threat posed by the Iranian Quds force led by Qasem Soleimani.”
SAUDI ARABIA: Iran’s regional rival called for self-restraint to prevent what could “aggravate the situation to dangerous consequences,” the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
– with staff writers