Iran warns of Middle East disaster from U.S. Patriot missile deployment in Iraq

Iran charged that the U.S. was leading the Middle East into disaster during the development of the coronavirus pandemic after reports of the deployment of Patriot air defence missiles in Iraq. The world is currently being hit by the COVID-19 plague, which has already left tens of thousands of dead and hundreds of thousands of cases of contagion worldwide, and the Iranian regime has been warned of the belligerent attitude of the United States in this situation.

For his part, Donald Trump, president of the United States, has accused Iran of planning a surprise attack against soldiers displaced in Iraq and who are participating in the international alliance against Jihadist terrorism operating in the region. 

Washington has been in talks with Baghdad about the proposed deployment since January, but it was not clear at the time whether there was approval or not. The Islamic Republic of Iran, which has great influence within the Iraqi political, military and social spheres, indicated that it had not taken place, but has ended up warning lately about this disposition, especially in view of the current problem with the coronavirus pandemic, which is devastating certain countries more severely, as is the case of Iran, which already has more than 3,000 deaths and more than 15,000 affected at this time (a plight in which the American nation is also immersed, with almost 4,800 deaths and 210,000 cases reported).

The U.S. deployment goes “against the official position of the Iraqi government, parliament and people,” a statement from the Iranian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday. The official statement called for an end to “warmongering during the coronavirus outbreak” and warned that US military activities in the region could lead to “instability and disaster” and that the US should “respect the wishes of the Iraqi people and government and leave the country”.

It should be noted that Iraqi society has been demonstrating vehemently over the past few months, including fierce street battles, against interference in their country by both Iran and the U.S. The citizens of the Gulf country reject the Persian interference in their affairs of state and its enormous influence on the Shiite community and the military sector; and they also oppose the presence of American troops on Iraqi soil. 

For his part, Pentagon spokesman Sean Robertson justified the shipment of arms supplies to Iraq by telling the Al-Jazeera network that “the United States is moving defensive systems into Iraq to protect coalition members and U.S. services from various airborne threats over Iraqi bases housing coalition troops”. It is important to note that the repeated attacks on Iraqi bases, which violate Iraqi sovereignty, have killed and injured Iraqis, coalition members and members of the US services. The establishment of ground-based air defenses in Iraq continues, but for operational security reasons, we are not providing status updates as these systems come online. “The Iraqi government is well aware of our collective need for air defense protection for service members inside Iraq, and we continue to coordinate closely with our Iraqi counterparts,” Robertson said.

The United States defends the placement of the Patriot missile defense system for attacks on military bases in Iraq where American soldiers are operating and for which the U.S. Defense Department blames Iran and Shiite militias supported by the ayatollahs' regime. 

Precisely, one of these offensives against a military installation in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk last December, which left a civilian contractor dead, triggered the last great escalation of tension between Iran and the United States, as the Trump Administration responded with a drone operation that killed Quds (elite Iranian Army corps) leader Qassem Soleimani near Baghdad airport, leading to a wave of violence in response, including the assault on the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and other attacks on military sites in Iraq by Shiite militias near Iran. 

The former head of the U.S. Central Command, Admiral William Fallon, told Al Jazeera that the U.S. is deploying missiles to protect its forces in Iraq. Fallon called the Iranian reaction “rhetoric expected from Tehran”. “The U.S. move is aimed at protecting the remaining American troops in Iraq,” Fallon said, especially after the bombing of Iraqi bases where American troops were stationed.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Washington has information that points to a “surprise attack” by Iran or the militias it supports against its troops in Iraq. “It's very good information,” the president said Wednesday afternoon at his daily press conference at the White House to report on the health emergency by COVID-19. 

Trump has commented on the imminence of an “attack led by Iran or Iranian-backed groups” which for him “is the same thing”. “We are telling them only one thing: don't do it,” the U.S. president noted, using a threatening tone to warn Iran: “If it happens, our response will be even greater. Iran will pay a very high price, of course”.