Gotta have a war with Iran.
“Pompeo Blames Iran For Taliban Attack As Administration ‘Itches For War”
As Secretary of State Mike Pompeo railed against Iran in the wake of the attack Thursday on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, he also blamed the nation for a recent assault in Afghanistan claimed by the Taliban.
One expert responded that including the attack in Kabul on the list of U.S. grievances against Iran is a sign of a Trump administration “itching for war,” The Washington Post reported.
As the administration ratcheted up tension with Iran, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called on the international community Saturday to take a “decisive stand” against Iran.
The Trump administration’s credibility is a key factor as Americans and nations weigh blame for the tanker attacks.
U.S. Central Command said that the Norwegian-owned MT Front Altair and the Japanese Kokula Courageous were attacked by limpet mines, which are attached to ships below the water line. The military released a video that officials claimed showed an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps patrol boat removing an unexploded mine from the Courageous.
The president of the company that owns the Courageous, however, said Friday there were reports of something that “flew towards the ship” before the blast. He discounted American reports of a sea mine. Iran has denied any involvement in the tanker attacks.
Many experts say it’s too soon to say for certain who is responsible. Others suspect Iran launched the attack in response to the U.S. pulling out of the nuclear pact with Tehran, and following months of provocative criticism, sanctions and calls for regime change by the Trump administration.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for a suicide bomb attack on a U.S.convoy in Kabul May 31, killing four Afghan pedestrians and wounding four American servicemen and at least three civilians. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid boasted of the attack in a phone call with the Associated Press.
But on Thursday, as Pompeo slammed Iran, he called the Kabul bombing one of “a series of attacks instigated by the Islamic Republic of Iran and its surrogates against American and allied interests,” the Post reported.
Pompeo said the attacks “present a clear threat to international peace and security, a blatant assault on the freedom of navigation and an unacceptable campaign of escalating tension by Iran.”
The characterization of the Kabul attack as one instigated by Iran surprised experts and a former U.S. diplomat, the Post reported. Besides the Taliban’s claim of responsibility, they said it would be unusual for Iran to launch an attack inside Kabul.
“If there was clearly a belief that Iran had hit troops in Afghanistan, it would have been huge news right away,” Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Wilson Center’s Asia program, told the Post.
“This administration is itching for a fight with Iran,” he said. “Unfortunately, that sometimes entails making some accusations against Iran that are somewhat questionable.”
Pompeo has a “long list of grievances” against Iran, Alex Vatanka, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, told the Post. He needs to “convince people that this isn’t just a long list of events happening to coincide with the maximum-pressure campaign on Tehran.”
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/tanker-a ... 17ef0aed60
What’s next? Trump blames Iran for the immigration crisis on southern border with Mexico. Also blames Iran for bad weather making him miss a golf game. Blames Iran for Mueller Report.