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2 U.S. Bases Hit in Iraq as Iran Says ‘Fierce Revenge’ Has Begun Iran Strikes U.S. Forces at 2 Bases in Iraq, Saying ‘Fierce Revenge’ Has Begun
(about 1 hour later)
BAGHDAD  — Iran attacked American forces at two bases in Iraq with a barrage of missiles early Wednesday, Iranian official news media and United States officials said, the start of what Tehran had promised would be retaliation for the killing of a top Iranian commander. BAGHDAD — Iran attacked two bases in Iraq where Americans operate with a barrage of missiles early Wednesday, Iranian official news media and United States officials said, the start of what Tehran had promised would be retaliation for the killing of a top Iranian commander.
“The fierce revenge by the Revolutionary Guards has begun,” the Islamic Revolutionary Guards said in a statement on a Telegram channel. “The fierce revenge by the Revolutionary Guards has begun,” the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said in a statement on a Telegram messaging app channel.
American officials in Washington said that Iran had fired more than a dozen ballistic missiles at two military bases in Iraq where American troops are stationed. American officials in Washington said that Iran had fired more than a dozen ballistic missiles at two military bases in Iraq where American troops are stationed. The Pentagon said it was assessing whether any American troops had been killed or injured in the strikes. There were no immediate reports of American casualties.
After the strikes, President Trump, who has vowed a strong response to any Iranian attack on American targets, met at the White House with his top national security advisers, including Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper and Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to discuss retaliatory options.
On Twitter, Mr. Trump struck an upbeat tone and promised to make a statement Wednesday morning.
“All is well!” he wrote. “Missiles launched from Iran at two military bases located in Iraq. Assessment of casualties & damages taking place now. So far, so good! We have the most powerful and well equipped military anywhere in the world, by far!”
The American killing of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, a hero at home but a terrorist to the United States government, has scaled into one of the most dangerous confrontations between the two countries in the four decades of animosity that have followed the Islamic Revolution.
Iran’s firing of ballistic missiles from inside its borders — not relying on rockets from Iranian-backed proxies — at two of the main military bases where many of the more than 5,000 American troops in Iraq are based was a significant escalation of force that threatened to ignite a widening conflict throughout the Middle East.
It was also a stark message from Tehran that it has the will and the ability to strike at American targets in neighboring Iraq.
“It is clear that these missiles were launched from Iran and targeted at least two Iraqi military bases hosting U.S. military and coalition personnel at Al Asad and Erbil,” Jonathan Hoffman, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman, said in a statement.“It is clear that these missiles were launched from Iran and targeted at least two Iraqi military bases hosting U.S. military and coalition personnel at Al Asad and Erbil,” Jonathan Hoffman, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman, said in a statement.
Iranian news media reported the attack hours after the remains of the commander, Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, were returned to his hometown in Iran for burial amid a huge outpouring of grief and rage at the United States. The funeral procession was so huge and unwieldy that more than 50 people died in a stampede, state media reported, forcing a delay in the burial. Shortly after the attacks, the Federal Aviation Administration in Washington banned United States airlines from flying over Iran, Iraq, the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
Iranian officials said the attacks on American bases began at 1:20 a.m. — the time General Suleimani was killed by an American drone at the Baghdad airport on Friday. Iranian news media reported the attacks hours after the remains of General Suleimani were returned to his hometown in Iran for burial amid a huge outpouring of grief and rage at the United States. The funeral procession was so huge and unwieldy that more than 50 people died in a stampede, state news media reported, forcing a delay in the burial.
Some Iranian officials tweeted images of Iranian flags in a pointed rejoinder to President Trump, who tweeted an American flag after General Suleimani was killed. Iranian officials said the attacks began at 1:20 a.m. — the time General Suleimani was killed Friday by an American drone at the Baghdad International Airport.
The White House said in a statement that it was “aware” of attacks on American facilities in Iraq. “The president has been briefed and is monitoring the situation closely and consulting with his national security team,” the statement said. Some Iranian officials posted images of Iranian flags on Twitter in a pointed rejoinder to Mr. Trump, who tweeted an American flag after General Suleimani was killed.
President Trump, who has vowed a strong response to any Iranian attack on American targets, visited military forces at Al Asad in December 2018, making his first trip to troops stationed in a combat zone. Iran’s military planners had anticipated retaliatory strikes by the United States. Key military, oil and energy sites were placed on high alert, and underground missile defense systems were prepared to counterattack, said a person familiar with the planning.
The American killing of General Suleimani, a hero at home but a terrorist to the United States government, has escalated into one of the most dangerous confrontations between the two countries in the four decades of animosity that have followed the Islamic Revolution. Iranian officials awaited Mr. Trump’s address to the nation, and when he did not give one, they suspected the United States might wait to respond or not respond at all, the person said.
Reports from American intelligence agencies of an imminent attack from Iran intensified throughout the day, and senior officials said they were bracing for some kind of attack against American bases in Iraq or elsewhere in the Middle East. Two people close to the Revolutionary Guards said that if the United States did not strike, Iran would de-escalate as well, and end its missile attack on American bases in Iraq. But if the United States does attack, then Iran was preparing for at least a limited conflict.
As tensions mounted, the president’s top national security advisers met Tuesday afternoon in the White House Situation Room. Reports from American intelligence agencies of an imminent attack from Iran had intensified throughout the day, and senior officials had said they were bracing for some kind of attack against American bases in Iraq or elsewhere in the Middle East.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was meeting with senior Democrats Tuesday evening about Mr. Trump’s impeachment trial when she was handed a note telling her of the Iranian attack on American forces in Iraq. American military and intelligence officials had closely monitored over the past two days movements of Iran’s ballistic force units — the crown jewel of the country’s arsenal. It was initially unclear whether the movements were a defensive dispersal or the preparations for a retaliatory attack. But by midday Tuesday, top American officials said it had become clear that some kind of Iranian attack was coming.
“We’ve got to pray,” she said, according to Representative Debbie Dingell, Democrat of Michigan, who was in the meeting. As tensions mounted, the president’s top national security advisers began gathering in the White House Situation Room about 2 p.m. — about three and a half hours before the attacks. Mr. Trump joined them after a previously scheduled meeting with the Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
The American base in Erbil has been a Special Operations hub, home to hundreds of troops, logistics personnel and intelligence specialists. Transport aircraft, gunships, and reconnaissance planes have used the airport as an anchor point for operations in both northern Iraq and deep into Syria. Unlike after the American drone strike that killed General Suleimani last week, Democratic congressional leaders were notified immediately after the strikes.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi was meeting on Tuesday evening with senior Democrats about Mr. Trump’s impeachment trial when she was handed a note telling her of the Iranian attack on American forces in Iraq.
“We must ensure the safety of our servicemembers, including ending needless provocations from the administration and demanding that Iran cease its violence,” Ms. Pelosi tweeted. “America & world cannot afford war.”
Reactions to the strikes diverged sharply on Capitol Hill, with Democrats condemning the series of events that led to the escalation, and Republicans urging Mr. Trump to project military strength in the face of the attacks.
Senator Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the chamber’s No. 2 Democrat, used Twitter to urge lawmakers to reassert Congress’s constitutional authority over matters of war and peace.
“The escalation of violence between Iran and the United States makes the constitutional responsibility of Congress to decide whether to declare war more important than ever,” Mr. Durbin tweeted.
Representative Michael Waltz, Republican of Florida, who served in Afghanistan and worked in the Pentagon under President George W. Bush, said in a brief interview on Tuesday evening that he would reserve judgment about the strikes until more information became available. But, Mr. Waltz said, “the president’s been very clear, as you should be in a deterrence posture: They will impose consequences and they’ll be directly on the Iranian regime.”
Al Asad Air base has long been a hub for American military operations in western Iraq. Danish troops have also been stationed there in recent years. In 2017, as the American-led coalition built up the base for its campaign against the Islamic State, roughly 500 American military and civilian personnel were located on the there. Units stationed there consisted of a shock trauma medical unit, a targeting cell, a Navy SEAL Special Operations task force and with a company of Marines that served most as protection for the American side of the base. The airfield serviced drones and reconnaissance aircraft.
After the physical defeat of the Islamic State’s so-called caliphate in 2019, some troops have departed from Al Asad, but it still maintains a robust presence of coalition troops.
Throughout the fight against the Islamic State, the base in Erbil, which shares its borders with the city’s airport, has been a Special Operations hub home to hundreds of American and other allied troops, logistics personnel and intelligence specialists. Transport aircraft, gunships and reconnaissance planes have used the airport as an anchor point for operations in both northern Iraq and deep into eastern Syria.
The Iranian missile attack came on a day that began with thousands of Iranians taking to the streets for General Suleimani’s funeral procession, a public mourning marred by a deadly stampede.The Iranian missile attack came on a day that began with thousands of Iranians taking to the streets for General Suleimani’s funeral procession, a public mourning marred by a deadly stampede.
The head of Iran’s emergency medical services said that 56 people had died and 213 were injured, the broadcaster IRIB reported on its website, as millions of people flooded the streets of Kerman to witness the procession for General Suleimani. The head of Iran’s emergency medical services said 56 people had died and 213 were injured, the broadcaster IRIB reported on its website, as millions of people flooded the streets of Kerman to witness the procession for General Suleimani.
Witnesses said on social media and on the BBC’s Persian service that the street leading to the funeral was too narrow to handle the crowd, and that some side streets had been closed off for security reasons, leaving those who were caught in the crush with no place to escape.Witnesses said on social media and on the BBC’s Persian service that the street leading to the funeral was too narrow to handle the crowd, and that some side streets had been closed off for security reasons, leaving those who were caught in the crush with no place to escape.
General Suleimani was killed in an American drone strike in Baghdad last week, and his death has magnified tensions between the United States and Iran, fueling fears of a broader conflict as the two sides trade increasingly dire threats. The overcrowding and the subsequent stampede in Kerman led the authorities to delay General Suleimani’s burial, the state news media reported. But he was buried around midnight, as Iran prepared to launch missile attacks against American forces in retaliation for his death, said Hossein Soleimani, the editor in chief of the main Revolutionary Guards news website.
The overcrowding and the subsequent stampede in Kerman led the authorities to delay General Suleimani’s burial, the state news media reported. It was unclear when he will be buried.
Pictures of the procession showed an elaborately decorated truck bearing General Suleimani’s coffin through streets packed so densely with mourners that, in overhead photographs, the ground was not visible.Pictures of the procession showed an elaborately decorated truck bearing General Suleimani’s coffin through streets packed so densely with mourners that, in overhead photographs, the ground was not visible.
As the crowd carried Mr. Soleimani’s coffin to bury him, a eulogist led the crowd to chant, “God is great, death to America,” and the State TV anchor commented, “His comrades at the Revolutionary Guards took revenge tonight for his innocent blood that was spilled.”
Many in the crowd wore black and carried pictures of the dead commander, whose face also looked out from billboards and banners hung from buildings. Others waved red flags that in Shiite Islam have come to symbolize the blood of the sect’s most revered martyr, Hussein ibn Ali, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad. (The red flag does not signify a call for revenge, as some news outlets have reported.)Many in the crowd wore black and carried pictures of the dead commander, whose face also looked out from billboards and banners hung from buildings. Others waved red flags that in Shiite Islam have come to symbolize the blood of the sect’s most revered martyr, Hussein ibn Ali, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad. (The red flag does not signify a call for revenge, as some news outlets have reported.)
The crowd was far bigger than the city is used to, and with the main streets jammed with people and others closed off, ambulances struggled to reach injured people.The crowd was far bigger than the city is used to, and with the main streets jammed with people and others closed off, ambulances struggled to reach injured people.
“The route that the government considered for this event was very narrow,” one witness told the BBC’s Persian service, adding that a stampede seemed likely in light of the big crowds that turned out to mourn General Suleimani in Tehran. “Without considering this fact, they picked a narrow and one-way street. Some of the nearby alleys and streets around were closed for some reason and people had no way out.”“The route that the government considered for this event was very narrow,” one witness told the BBC’s Persian service, adding that a stampede seemed likely in light of the big crowds that turned out to mourn General Suleimani in Tehran. “Without considering this fact, they picked a narrow and one-way street. Some of the nearby alleys and streets around were closed for some reason and people had no way out.”
Several top-ranking military officials also attended the procession, according to ISNA, a state-run news agency.Several top-ranking military officials also attended the procession, according to ISNA, a state-run news agency.
“Unfortunately, as a result of a stampede, some of our compatriots have been injured and some have been killed during the funeral processions,” Pirhossein Koulivand, the head of the Iranian emergency medical services, told IRIB. The death toll continued to rise throughout the day.“Unfortunately, as a result of a stampede, some of our compatriots have been injured and some have been killed during the funeral processions,” Pirhossein Koulivand, the head of the Iranian emergency medical services, told IRIB. The death toll continued to rise throughout the day.
Mr. Koulivand told the state-run broadcaster Press TV that Iran’s health minister, Saeid Namaki, was in Kerman and was monitoring the emergency response.Mr. Koulivand told the state-run broadcaster Press TV that Iran’s health minister, Saeid Namaki, was in Kerman and was monitoring the emergency response.
Images and videos posted on social media showed the aftermath of the crush, with emergency workers and bystanders trying to resuscitate people lying on the ground. The bodies of other victims, jackets covering their faces, could be seen nearby.Images and videos posted on social media showed the aftermath of the crush, with emergency workers and bystanders trying to resuscitate people lying on the ground. The bodies of other victims, jackets covering their faces, could be seen nearby.
The general’s body had been flown to Kerman after a funeral service on Monday in Tehran, the capital, where there were even bigger crowds. He had requested a burial in his hometown.The general’s body had been flown to Kerman after a funeral service on Monday in Tehran, the capital, where there were even bigger crowds. He had requested a burial in his hometown.
Alissa J. Rubin reported from Baghdad, Farnaz Fassihi from New York, Eric Schmitt from Washington and Vivian Yee from Beirut, Lebanon. Megan Specia contributed reporting from London, and Nilo Tabrizy from New York. Alissa J. Rubin reported from Baghdad, Farnaz Fassihi from New York, Eric Schmitt from Washington and Vivian Yee from Beirut, Lebanon. Reporting was contributed by Helene Cooper, Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Catie Edmondson, Nicholas Fandos, Mark Mazzetti and Michael D. Shear from Washington; Maggie Haberman and Nilo Tabrizy from New York; and Megan Specia from London.