https://sputnikglobe.com/20240129/direct-us-attack-on-iran-would-open-pandoras-box--mideast-experts-1116473612.html
Direct US Attack on Iran Would Open Pandora's Box – Mideast Experts
Direct US Attack on Iran Would Open Pandora's Box – Mideast Experts
Sputnik International
Having groundlessly accused Tehran of masterminding a recent deadly drone bombing on US personnel, President Joe Biden and his team are allegedly considering a covert strike on Iran or targeting Iranian officials, as per Bloomberg. How could the purported plan pan out for Washington?
2024-01-29T18:06+0000
2024-01-29T18:06+0000
2024-01-29T18:06+0000
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Three US soldiers were killed and 34 wounded in a drone attack over the weekend that is ramping up the pressure on Joe Biden ahead of the 2024 elections, according to the US press. The Biden administration rushed to pin the blame on Iran, presenting no evidence to back up its claims.Even though Tehran made it clear that it had nothing to do with the attack, Washington is reportedly planning to either conduct a covert strike on Iran and later deny it, or resort to extraterritorial assassinations of Iranian officials, as then-President Donald Trump did by ordering the killing of General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad in 2020. "If the attack was from an Iraqi militia that Iran supports, then a US attack on the militia will affect relations with Iraq, which has already objected to other US responses to the militias and is engaged in talks for the US to exit Iraq. It is an election year in the US and there is a great deal of pressure on Biden to be 'tough' on Iran."Per Askari, Biden has found himself between a rock and a hard place: no matter what he does, he is likely to come under fierce criticism for either being too weak or escalating the conflict.He believes that Biden will strike nonetheless and that the strike will pour more gasoline on the fire as Tehran is "still looking for revenge for the assassination of General Soleimani and the Iraqi militia leader, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis."When asked what forces could be potentially involved in any "covert strike", the expert assumed that only cruise missiles and no planes or Special Forces are likely to be used. He added that no regional player would join the purported US action except, possibly, Israel. "But if the US allows Israel to join in, then this would become a much wider war with religious overtones," Askari warned.Even though neither the US nor Iran have an interest in a wider regional war, "there is a tug of war between the two countries to sway influence over the wider Middle East, and particularly the Arab Gulf States," echoed Dr. Imad Salamey, associate professor of political science and international affairs at the Lebanese American University."I believe the US will take on limited retaliatory attacks against [Islamic] Revolutionary Guards targets in Iran or Iraq without engaging in a wide-scale war," Salamey told Sputnik.
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iran, biden could authorize covert strike on iran, drone attack on us military personnel in middle east, joe biden, islamic revolutionary guard corps, general qassem soleimani, possible us strike on iranian officials, israel
iran, biden could authorize covert strike on iran, drone attack on us military personnel in middle east, joe biden, islamic revolutionary guard corps, general qassem soleimani, possible us strike on iranian officials, israel
Direct US Attack on Iran Would Open Pandora's Box – Mideast Experts
Having groundlessly accused Tehran of masterminding a recent deadly drone bombing on US personnel, President Joe Biden and his team are allegedly considering a covert strike on Iran or targeting Iranian officials, as per Bloomberg. How could the purported plan pan out for Washington?
Three US soldiers were killed and 34 wounded in a drone attack over the weekend that is
ramping up the pressure on Joe Biden ahead of the 2024 elections, according to the US press. The Biden administration rushed to pin the blame on Iran, presenting no evidence to back up its claims.
Even though Tehran made it clear that it had nothing to do with the attack, Washington is reportedly planning to either conduct
a covert strike on Iran and later deny it, or resort to extraterritorial assassinations of Iranian officials, as then-President Donald Trump did by ordering the killing of General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad in 2020.
"A direct attack on Iran will open Pandora's Box," Professor Hossein Askari, political analyst and emeritus professor of business and international affairs at George Washington University, told Sputnik.
"If the attack was from an Iraqi militia that Iran supports, then a US attack on the militia will affect relations with Iraq, which has already objected to other US responses to the militias and is engaged in talks for the US to exit Iraq. It is an election year in the US and there is a great deal of pressure on Biden to be 'tough' on Iran."
Per Askari, Biden has found himself between a rock and a hard place: no matter what he does, he is likely to come under fierce criticism for either being too weak or escalating the conflict.
"An attack inside Iran would undoubtedly widen the war with the end game becoming even murkier and [an attack] inside Iraq would further damage US-Iraq relations," the professor stressed.
He believes that Biden will strike nonetheless and that the strike will pour more gasoline on the fire as Tehran is "still looking for revenge for the assassination of General Soleimani and the Iraqi militia leader, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis."
When asked what forces could be potentially involved in any "covert strike", the expert assumed that only cruise missiles and no planes or Special Forces are likely to be used. He added that no regional player would join the purported US action except, possibly, Israel. "But if the US allows Israel to join in, then this would become a much wider war with religious overtones," Askari warned.
Even though neither the US nor Iran have an interest in a wider regional war, "there is a tug of war between the two countries to sway influence over the wider Middle East, and particularly the Arab Gulf States," echoed Dr. Imad Salamey, associate professor of political science and international affairs at the Lebanese American University.
"I believe the US will take on limited retaliatory attacks against [Islamic] Revolutionary Guards targets in Iran or Iraq without engaging in a wide-scale war," Salamey told Sputnik.
"It remains too early in this conflict for the US to target strategic positions such as nuclear facilities. I do not think the allies will join the US in the standoff against Iran, as none have a reason to join rank. Only in the case that Iran decided to close down the Strait of Hormuz that other states would join the US war efforts. I believe the US is now after attacking Iranian Revolutionary Guards and no longer as interested in proxies."
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