U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks with Department of Defense staff during a visit by U.S. President Joe Biden to the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia on February 10, 2021.
Carlos Barria | Reuters
WASHINGTON – Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin warned those responsible for carrying out last week’s rocket attack on an Iraqi base hosting American troops.
“The message for those who would carry out this attack is that we expect us to do what is necessary to defend ourselves,” Austin said in an interview with ABC that aired Sunday.
“We will strike if that is what we believe we should do at a time and place we choose. We demand the right to protect our troops,” he said, adding that the US is still evaluating intelligence with its partners. Iraqis.
Defense officials have said earlier that the attack had the typical characteristics of a strike by Iran-backed groups. Iran has denied its involvement.
When asked if Iran would consider a possible U.S. response as an escalation of tensions, the new Pentagon chief and the withdrawn four-star army reiterated that Washington would do everything necessary to protect American interests and Americans in the region.
“What they [Iranians] We need to get back out of this that we will defend our troops and our response will be thoughtful. It will be appropriate, “Austin said.” We would expect them to choose to do the right things, ”he added.
On Sunday, the central command of the U.S. military, which oversees wars in the Middle East, delivered the fourth deployment of bombers to the region.
The force demonstration mission included two Stratofortress B-52H bombers alongside planes from Israel, Saudi Arabia and Qatar at various points to “deter aggression and reassure partners and allies of the commitment of the U.S. Army with security in the region. “
Last month, Iran rejected the invitation of the world powers that signed the 2015 nuclear deal to discuss the regime’s possible return to the negotiating table, a significant setback in the Biden administration’s efforts to reactivate the Joint Comprehensive Action Plan or JCPOA.
The White House said the Biden administration was disappointed with Iran’s decision to skip the informal meeting, but “would re-engage with significant diplomacy to achieve a mutual return to fulfilling JCPOA commitments.” .
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks during the meeting of the National Coronavirus Combat Board (Covid-19) in Tehran, Iran, on November 21, 2020.
Iranian Presidency Brochure | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
The Biden administration has previously said it wants to reactivate the nuclear deal, but will not suspend sanctions until Tehran complies. Tehran has refused to negotiate while US sanctions remain in place.
The 2015 JCPOA, promoted by the Obama administration, lifted sanctions on Iran that had paralyzed its economy and cut oil exports by about half. In exchange for billions of dollars in relief from sanctions, Iran agreed to dismantle part of its nuclear program and open its facilities to more extensive international inspections.
The US and its European allies believe Iran has ambitions to develop a nuclear bomb. Tehran has denied this accusation.
In 2018, then-President Donald Trump kept a campaign promise and withdrew the United States from the JCPOA calling it a “worst deal in history.” Following Washington’s exit from the nuclear deal, other signatories to the pact have tried to keep the deal alive.
Washington’s strained relationship with Tehran turned the tide under the Trump administration several times.
President Donald Trump speaks during a briefing on Hurricane Michael at the White House Oval Office in Washington, DC, on October 10, 2018.
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
People gather to protest US airstrike on Iraq that killed Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, who led elite Revolutionary Guards force Quds of Iran in Sanaa, Yemen, on 6 January 2020.
Mohammed Hamoud | Andalusian Agency | Getty Images
Soleimani’s death caused the regime to further reduce compliance with the international nuclear pact. In January 2020, Iran said it would no longer limit its uranium enrichment capacity or its nuclear research.
In October, the United States unilaterally re-imposed UN sanctions on Tehran through an instant process, which other members of the UN Security Council have previously said Washington has no authority to execute. because it withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018.
A month later, a top Iranian nuclear scientist was killed near Tehran, leading the Iranian government to allege that Israel was behind the attack with US support.
A view shows the scene of the attack that killed prominent Iranian scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh on the outskirts of Tehran, Iran, on November 27, 2020.
WANA via Reuters
During the summer of 2019, a series of attacks in the Persian Gulf put the US and Iran on a path to greater confrontation.
In June 2019, U.S. officials said an Iranian surface-to-air missile fired a U.S. military surveillance drone over the Strait of Hormuz. Iran said the plane was on its territory. The strike came a week after the United States accused Iran of attacking two oil tankers in the Persian Gulf region and following the attack on four oil tankers in May.
The United States in June imposed new sanctions on Iranian military leaders accused of dropping the drone. The measures also aimed to block financial resources for Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei.
Tensions erupted again in September 2019, when the United States blamed Iran for strikes in Saudi Arabia at the world’s largest crude oil processing plant and oil field. The strikes forced the kingdom to close half of its production operations.
The event triggered the largest rise in crude oil prices in decades and renewed concerns of an incipient conflict in the Middle East.
The Pentagon described the strikes at Saudi oil facilities as “sophisticated” and represented a “dramatic escalation” of tensions in the region.
Iran, meanwhile, claims it was not behind the attacks.