Jan 02 Esper says Iran may be planning more attacks on U.S. interests By Robert Burns, Associated Press Iran or its proxy forces may be planning further strikes on American interests in the Middle East, and the U.S. is prepared to take preemptive military action if it gets sufficient warning, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Thursday. Continue reading
Jan 01 U.S. Embassy in Iraq suspends operations, militiamen withdraw By Qassim Abdul-Zahra, Joseph Krauss, Associated Press U.S.-Iran tensions remain high and could spill over into further violence. Continue reading
Jan 01 U.S. troops fire tear gas at pro-Iran protesters in Iraq By Qassim Abdul-Zahra, Associated Press Hundreds of Iran-backed militiamen and other protesters gathered outside the American Embassy in Baghdad for a second day and set fire to the roof of a reception area inside the compound. Continue reading
Dec 31 Watch 2:41 Iraqis supporting Iran-backed militia attack U.S. Embassy, demand U.S. withdrawal In Baghdad, supporters of an Iran-backed militia remained outside the gates of the U.S. Embassy after attempting to storm the compound earlier in the day. The U.S. military planned to move more Marines in, but the Iraqi protesters insisted they… Continue watching
Dec 31 Watch 8:07 How Iran could benefit from Iraqi outrage over U.S. airstrikes A tense new year has dawned in Baghdad after U.S. airstrikes against an Iranian-backed militia prompted one of the worst attacks on a U.S. Embassy in years. Bilal Wahab of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and Kirsten Fontenrose… Continue watching
Dec 31 Iran-backed Iraqi militia, protesters breach U.S. Embassy compound By Qassim Abdul-Zahra, Associated Press Dozens of Iraqi Shiite militiamen and their supporters broke into the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad on Tuesday, smashing a main door and setting fire to a reception area, prompting tear gas and sounds of gunfire, angered over deadly U.S. Continue reading
Dec 30 Watch 3:28 News Wrap: Taliban attack in northern Afghanistan kills 14 In our news wrap Monday, an attack claimed by the Taliban killed 14 people in northern Afghanistan. Hours earlier, Taliban officials had said they agreed to a temporary cease-fire -- but gave no details. Also, North Korean leader Kim Jong… Continue watching
Dec 30 Watch 9:54 How U.S. airstrikes could affect ongoing tensions with Iran Words and actions between the U.S. and Iran are escalating. On Sunday, U.S. military strikes on an Iraqi militia group backed by Iran killed 25 fighters in what the U.S. said was retaliation for rocket fire that killed an American… Continue watching
Dec 30 Iran-backed Iraqi militia vows revenge for U.S. strikes By Qassim Abdul-Zahra, Associated Press The U.S. attack — the largest targeting an Iraqi state-sanctioned militia in recent years — and the calls for retaliation, represent a new escalation in the proxy war between the U.S. and Iran playing out in the Middle East. Continue reading
Dec 27 Watch 6:26 How Iranian military exercises, mass protests are connected to U.S. sanctions While the United States keeps up its maximum pressure campaign on Iran, tensions are building within Iran as mass protests there continue to grow. Meanwhile, for the first time, Iran is engaged in joint naval exercises with both Russia and… Continue watching