Plea for prayers
A Christian leader in Iraq is calling for prayer, for wisdom, to avoid the “volcano eruption” [of war] we are about to face.
Chaldean Catholic Patriarch of Baghdad Louis Raphael Sako said in a release from the church: "His Beatitude addressed his words to the wise people around the world to avoid it, because innocent people will be the fuel for such “fire”. He also invited both Christians and Muslims to pray for the decision-makers to act wisely and consider the consequences of their strategies, thoroughly."
Iran's nuclear intent?
Iran, like the U.S., has now withdrawn from a treaty limiting Iran's nuclear development. So far there's no public statement by Iran's government concerning a goal of developing nuclear weapons, but many have long thought Iran intends to have them.
President Trump, who has 69-million followers on Twitter, has tweeted concerning Iran and any prospect they might try for developing or acquiring nukes:
Memorial in Iran
Funeral services have been held for General Qassem Soleimani, who was successfully targeted by an American Reaper drone.
As world media covered the memorial, it was noted that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, cried as he spoke. He prayed for the late general and others who were killed in the airstrike, asking ‘Allah’ to have mercy and not punish “your servants.” Estimates say the crowd at the memorial in Tehran numbered at least one million.
In March of 2019, the Ayatollah awarded Soleimani with Iran’s highest military honor and while pinning the medal Khamenei said he hoped ‘God’ would reward the general with a blissful life that ends with martyrdom.
Indeed, he is now a martyr.
In Iran, some view Soleimani as a brave warrior who took the battle to enemies, including the United States and Israel. But in other parts of the Middle East and the world, he is viewed as the man responsible for indirectly taking the lives of hundreds of American troops in Iraq, with many others maimed by IEDs supplied by Iran. Soleimani is also blamed for the deaths of thousands of Sunni Muslims in Syria.
Above: Alexander Missildine, of Tyler, Texas. U.S. Army officials say Missildine, of the 10th Mountain Division's Louisiana-based brigade combat team, was killed Sunday Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017, when an IED detonated near his convoy in Iraq. (U.S.Army via AP)
Iran has promised retaliation for the airstrike and President Trump warned if any American assets are targeted, the U.S. will target 52 sites in Iran, and “hit very fast and very hard.” He said the sites include areas important to Iranian culture. The ’52 sites’ reference is symbolic – dating back to the 52 American diplomats who were held hostage in Iran for more than a year back in 1979.
In Washington, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to introduce a resolution to limit the president’s war powers. She called the airstrike “provocative and disproportionate,” saying it endangered American service members and diplomats.
There's a report from Fox News that Congress will get a briefing from the Trump administration on Wednesday:
Earlier President Trump took to Twitter concerning notification to lawmakers in Washington after complaints that some in Congress were kept in the dark concerning the airstrike on the Iranian general:
Many American military bases have stepped up security as a result of the heightened risk from Iran. At MacDill Air Force Base in Florida, 100% identification checks are now required, according to Military Times.
The Iraqi parliament has passed a resolution calling for all foreign troops to be expelled from the county. And the leader of a prominent Iraqi Shi’ite militia warns if American forces do not leave Iraq immediately, they will be viewed as an occupying army. JNS News reports Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq also threatened Israel saying his militia would fulfill the “hopes and wishes” to which former Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani dedicated his life by “cleansing of the land of Palestine in its entirety” by “erasing the plundering Israeli entity from existence.”
The Iraqi parliament vote angered President Donald Trump, who promptly warned Iraq that he would levy punishing sanctions if the government expelled American troops. He said the U.S. wouldn’t leave without being paid for its military investments in Iraq over the years
“We will charge them sanctions like they’ve never seen before, ever. It’ll make Iranian sanctions look somewhat tame,” Trump said.
The alarming rhetoric by the two allied nations comes amid a recent series of unclaimed attacks targeting military bases that host U.S. troops in Iraq.
Meanwhile, an Israeli think tank suggests there’s a growing risk of a large-scale war between the U.S. and Iran. And there’s concern Iran’s proxy force Hezbollah, may prod Israel into a local war.
As America and Iran face-off, there’s concern by some European governments that the tension will take the focus off the effort to combat any remaining influence ISIS has. Defense News also reports this could wreck years of efforts to stabilize Iraq.
Developments on social media:
Some content contributed by the Associated Press