Iran and its allies tap US on the shoulder with rocket strikes

It may be that Iran is testing the Biden administration to see how it will react to a rocket strike on US targets by Iran factions are putting the pressure on the Iraqi government while Iran looks to obtain leverage over Biden and his people.

Analysts and Iraq officials say the resumption of attacks after four months of relative calm shows that Iran and its Iraqi allies are now abandoning de-escalation and seeking leverage over their rivals. 

Will President Biden refrain from calling a lid and actually respond to the bellicosity of Khamenei, or will he just chalk it up to a difference in religious culture and look the other way?

On Monday, two rockets hit near the US embassy in Baghdad, days after a volley hit an airbase further north where a US military contractor is maintaining F-16 fighter-jets purchased from Washington.

Biden and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi spoke Tuesday by phone about this week’s rocket strikes and agreed that those responsible “must be held fully to account,” the White House said. Just what the consequences Iran will face is anybody's guess, but it probably won't be too harsh.

Rockets also rained down on a military complex in the Kurdish region’s capital, Arbil, on February 15. One civilian and a foreign contractor working with US-led troops were killed.

The incidents were consistent with the dozens of attacks last year, which usually involved a score of 107mm rockets fired from a truck, security officials said. Security forces are scouring the region to locate that truck and destroy it.

This year, the pro-Iran groups typically responsible for these type of attacks – including Kataeb Hezbollah and Asaib Ahl al-Haq – have been quick to condemn the strikes, but few believe their balderdash.

“All indications are it’s the same style of attacks,” said the US military official, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid being doxed by the left. “And intelligence shared with us says there are more to come.”

The rocket attacks might be sending a message from Tehran to Washington, and the Biden administration which is offering to revive the crappy Iranian nuclear deal which was finally ended by former President Trump in 2018.

Iran is demanding Washington lift sanctions immediately, while the US wants Iran to move first by returning to all its nuclear commitments, even if there is no real transparency to check on whether or not they're complying. After all, it's more important to get the optics right, than the compliance.

A prescient indicator of what Iran is thinking is the tough tone they struck this week by not allowing some of their nuclear sites to be inspected and warning that it could, if they wish, step up further uranium enrichment.

If that doesn't smell like a pair of Sandra Fluke's skivvies, then you need a new nose.

Please consider subscribing to Brain Flushings and check out the ads on these pages. It costs nothing to subscribe and it's worth every penny. And remember, every ad you click on, you help in the fight against the China virus.

Tweet