Update(21:00ET): Here’s what President Trump said from Ankara on Wednesday which left many wondering just what he was referring to: “They want to take out the U.S. leader—me,” he said in reference to the Iranians. “I’m on every list. I saw this morning, I’m on every single one of their lists. And so far, I guess I’ve been a little bit lucky, but that maybe doesn’t last very long.”
The Wall Street Journal in a Thursday evening report says that Israel has provided fresh intelligence to the White House indicating just such a Tehran-linked plot. The timing is quite curious and interesting given it comes just as the warring sides standing on the brink of returning once again to full-scale war:
Israel shared new intelligence with the U.S. that it said indicated a fresh Iranian plan to kill President Trump, people familiar with the matter said, a finding that would mark an escalation in the war between Washington and Iran.
Iran for years has vowed openly to retaliate against Trump for the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, who was a top general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in the president’s first term.
The Israeli embassy in Washington declined to comment. Iran’s Mission to the United Nations didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The White House referred The Wall Street Journal to comments the president made on Wednesday.
The Israelis have remained deeply dissatisfied with terms laid out in the previously agreed-to MoU, and so have every incentive to goad Washington further into the conflict. Certainly many within the US administration know this, and so might be taking this new ‘intelligence warning’ – which was leaked rather quickly to major media – with the appropriate degree of skepticism.
Meanwhile the US says it is still engaged in ‘technical talks’ with Iran, despite the past days of tit-for-tat bombings. “Technical talks between the US and Iran are continuing, according to a US official, following two days of clashes that threatened to shatter an already fragile ceasefire between the two nations,” reports Bloomberg, also late in the day Thursday. “The US is still committed to finding a solution with Iran, the official said Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter.”
So it appears there’s still hope that things might not spiral further. As for the alleged assassination plot, this isn’t the first time Iran has faced such accusations, and each time Tehran officials have vehemently denied them.
Just as the US nighttime strikes were significantly bigger than prior rounds in June, so has Iran’s ‘retaliation’ been bigger – chiefly on Gulf states and American bases there.
In the overnight and Thursday daytime hours, Iranian ballistic missiles and drones have targeted Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and even faraway Jordan. The country is reporting that it has intercepted several missiles, which targeted Muwaffaq Salti Air Base – jointly operated by US and Jordanian forces. Oil prices have persisted above prewar levels on Thursday.
“Jordan has intercepted eight Iranian missiles in its airspace after sirens sounded across the country, according to the armed forces,” reports Al Jazeera. “Falling shrapnel did not cause any casualties or material damage, it added.”
Following the US bombing of the Islamic Republic for a second consecutive night, which came after Iranian forces sought to enforce its own shipping route and protocol on the Strait of Hormuz (which saw several international vessels attacked), Tehran has newly confirmed it in turn struck “US bases and strategic centers” in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar.
In particular the IRGC has claimed that two US bases in Kuwait and two base in Bahrain were attacked – and the Iranian elite force is threatening more to come. US Central Command (CENTCOM) says the rate of its strikes have grown to about 14 times the number of targets hit in the last late June flare-up in fighting.
Sirens blared in several cities in Jordan as Iranian missiles were intercepted.
Jordanian Armed Forces confirmed at least eight missiles were intercepted.
According to the figures cites in the NY Times:
U.S. forces have struck more than 170 Iranian military targets in the past two days, including air defense systems, drone and missile storage sites, military speed boats, and logistics infrastructure along the coast near the Strait of Hormuz, according to the U.S. Central Command.
CENTCOM released footage of some of the fresh strikes:
According to a release from U.S. Central Command, in the most recent wave of U.S. strikes against Iran in response to the Iranian targeting of commercial shipping, 90 military targets, including military logistics infrastructure, missile and drone storage sites, air defense… pic.twitter.com/c1sRyvbN5H
In some instances civilian infrastructure like rail lines and bridges have reportedly been hit, which marks a return to the opening months of Operation Epic Fury, when targets all across the country were damaged or obliterated.
Little that’s confirmable in the way of damage has come out of the Gulf states at this point:
Kuwait said that it had intercepted three ballistic missiles, a cruise missile and 10 drones early Thursday morning and that falling debris had injured one person and caused material damage. Bahrain’s military said it had intercepted and destroyed several drones and missiles after Iran launched attacks on Thursday.
Iran also said that it had launched an attack in Qatar, a key mediator in Iran’s talks with the United States. The Qatari authorities did not confirm any strikes but did issue a public security alert early this morning that it later lifted.
Iranian state sources have said the two days of renewed American attacks have killed 14 people and wounded 78. The casualty count could be much higher given that strikes and counterstrikes could be extended as an offramp becomes more elusive. Explosions have been observed along the Iranian coast, including Bushehr, Chabahar, Bandar Abbas, and Sirik.
VIDEO | Footage shows the Chabahar maritime traffic control tower following last night’s US attack.
The tower was attacked in an attempt to disrupt Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz. pic.twitter.com/wM5KLRhgqN
As for potential offramp, President Trump is still claiming that Tehran wants to make a deal “badly” – and even specified to reporters aboard Air Force One that Iran “called a while ago” make just such a request. Most pundits and reporters, after hearing the same line literally dozens of times over the past months, are skeptical to say the least.
While this remains Trump’s public-facing rhetoric, a fresh Thursday report in The Wall Street Journal offers a contrasting account. “Angered by the strikes, Trump pressed them on whether they believed Iran was serious about reaching a final deal,” WSJ writes. “In the end, after discussing it with his senior aides, the president decided they weren’t.”
