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| Live updates: After killing of military commander, Iran vows revenge against U.S. | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Iran vowed to exact “severe revenge” on the United States after a drone strike killed Qasem Soleimani, one of the country’s top military figures, early Friday near the Baghdad airport. The targeted killing increased tensions in the region and caused U.S. outposts and personnel to brace for retaliatory attacks. The attack also upset global markets and sent oil prices shooting upward. Here are key points of what we know: | |
| • Soleimani was a towering figure who was key in training Iran’s proxies around the region, especially in Iraq. | |
| • Iran has vowed to retaliate against the United States. The U.S. Embassy in Iraq has called on all U.S. citizens to leave the country immediately. | • Iran has vowed to retaliate against the United States. The U.S. Embassy in Iraq has called on all U.S. citizens to leave the country immediately. |
| • Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Soleimani was planning new attacks against U.S. diplomats in the region and stressed that Washington is committed to de-escalation. | • Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Soleimani was planning new attacks against U.S. diplomats in the region and stressed that Washington is committed to de-escalation. |
| • Iraq’s politicians have roundly condemned the strike, describing it as both a violation of its sovereignty and the agreement allowing U.S. forces in the country. | • Iraq’s politicians have roundly condemned the strike, describing it as both a violation of its sovereignty and the agreement allowing U.S. forces in the country. |
| Michael Morell, the former acting CIA director under the Obama administration, told “CBS This Morning” that “there will be dead Americans, dead civilian Americans, as a result of this” airstrike, adding that a response could come “possibly over the next few days.” | |
| Morell said that Iraq was the most likely place where U.S. citizens would come under threat, but he also pointed toward Lebanon, Bahrain and other places where Tehran-aligned militias operate. “This sets a precedent that senior officials are fair game,” Morell added. | |
| Iranian hard-liners and their allies were likely to rally after the killing of a popular figure, said Morell, who retired from the agency in 2013 and has criticized the Trump administration. “I think we’ve now ended any hope of keeping Iraq out of Iran’s arms,” Morell said, suggesting that Iraqi politicians may now move to expel U.S. troops from the country. | |
| Sen. Robert Menendez (N.J.), the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a prominent voice on Iran policy, said he was not briefed on the Soleimani strike and called on the Trump administration to deliver more answers to Congress on what prompted the attack. | |
| “I fear that this administration used tactics but has no strategy in the long term,” Menendez said in an MSNBC appearance, “and what we cannot accept is a march to an unauthorized war.” | |
| Lawmakers “need to see the facts,” he added. “If they can prove through the intelligence that this was an imminent threat against U.S. interests and personnel and that it was defensive in nature, then maybe it has the authority to [strike Soleimani]. But if they cannot . . . we see a gradual march to military action directly or indirectly with Iran, that has not been authorized by Congress. And if that’s where you’re headed, then you need to come to Congress to get an authorization for the use of military force.” | |
| Menendez also speculated about the range of possible retaliatory attacks that Iran may be considering, ranging from actions by proxy groups against U.S. allies such as Israel and Saudi Arabia, to targeting the region’s oil production capacity, to even attacks on the U.S. homeland. | |
| “They can have sleeper cells in the United States,” he said. “It is possible to see sympathizers and supporters of the Quds Force in Iran make attacks here.” | |
| Trump tweeted on Friday morning that the United States has been paying large sums of money to Iraq “on top of all else we have done for them” and criticized the influence of Iran in the country. | |
| “The people of Iraq don’t want to be dominated & controlled by Iran, but ultimately, that is their choice,” Trump added, before tweeting that the people of Iraq were not happy with the influence of Iran over their country. “It will never end well!” | “The people of Iraq don’t want to be dominated & controlled by Iran, but ultimately, that is their choice,” Trump added, before tweeting that the people of Iraq were not happy with the influence of Iran over their country. “It will never end well!” |
| U.S. strike on top Iranian commander sharply divides Congress | U.S. strike on top Iranian commander sharply divides Congress |
| António Guterres, secretary general of the United Nations, is “deeply concerned with the recent escalation” in the Middle East, according to a statement issued by his spokesperson. | António Guterres, secretary general of the United Nations, is “deeply concerned with the recent escalation” in the Middle East, according to a statement issued by his spokesperson. |
| “This is a moment in which leaders must exercise maximum restraint,” the statement read. “The world cannot afford another war in the Gulf.” | “This is a moment in which leaders must exercise maximum restraint,” the statement read. “The world cannot afford another war in the Gulf.” |
| Crude oil prices spiked 4 percent Friday after news of Soleimani’s death spread, an abrupt escalation of Middle East tensions with serious implications for global oil supplies and economic growth. | Crude oil prices spiked 4 percent Friday after news of Soleimani’s death spread, an abrupt escalation of Middle East tensions with serious implications for global oil supplies and economic growth. |
| Brent crude surged more than $2.50 a barrel, to $68.96, in its biggest jump since Saudi oil fields came under attack in September. West Texas Intermediate hit $63.72 a barrel, an eight-month high. Oil company stocks also climbed, with Shell up 1.4 percent and BP up 1.9 percent in Europe. | Brent crude surged more than $2.50 a barrel, to $68.96, in its biggest jump since Saudi oil fields came under attack in September. West Texas Intermediate hit $63.72 a barrel, an eight-month high. Oil company stocks also climbed, with Shell up 1.4 percent and BP up 1.9 percent in Europe. |