WASHINGTON – The United States has seen growing indications that Iran may be planning an attack against American forces or interests in the Middle East, according to an American official.
The US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, acknowledged that reading Iran’s intentions was “difficult and at times unpredictable”.
But the nominations are being taken seriously, the official said. The one-year anniversary of the US assassination of Iran’s top general Qassem Soleimani is just days away.
Soleimani was killed in an American drone attack in Iraq on January 3, 2020, in what the Department of Defense characterized as a “defensive action” because he claimed that the leader of Iran’s Quds Force was developing plans to attack Americans. Iran launched missiles against US forces in Iraq in response to the killing days later.
This week, the United States flew B-52 bombers based in Minot, North Dakota, the Air Force base for the Middle East in a “deliberate appearance,” the US Central Command said in this month’s second show of strength.
The United States recently accused what it said was an Iran-backed militia of a December 20 rocket attack in the green zone of Baghdad, in which 21 rockets were fired. No one was hurt or killed.
Javad Zarif, Iran’s foreign minister, in a Tweet on Thursday he opposed the flights of the B-52 and wrote: “Iraq’s intelligence indicates conspiracy to MANUFACTURE a pretext for war.”
On December 23, referring to the rocket attack that damaged the US embassy in the green zone, President Donald Trump tweeted: “Iran-friendly health advice: If an American is killed, I will hold Iran accountable. Think about it.”
“We would be happy with the slowdown,” said the US official on Thursday, adding that amid uncertainty, the situation continues to be closely watched.
The tensions come weeks before President-elect Joe Biden took office, and the Iranian regime has sent clear signals that it wants to lift U.S. sanctions – something that an attack could harm.
Also on Thursday, the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz was ordered to return to its home port in the United States after a 10-month mission in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa, the Pentagon said.
“We continue to watch Iran closely,” acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller told NBC News in a statement on Thursday.
“While it is my hope that we will enter 2021 peacefully and without conflict, the Department is ready to defend the American people and their interests,” he said.
Phil Helsel contributed.