Iran not seeking war with US but ‘not afraid of
it’, says military chief
Head of Islamic Revolutionary Guards defiant as US
prepares ‘very consequential response’ to drone attack on Jordan base
Patrick
Wintour Diplomatic editor
Wed 31 Jan
2024 11.55 GMT
The head of
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) has vowed the country is not afraid
of war with the US, as the Pentagon weighs how directly to respond to the
killing of three US servicemen in a drone attack in Jordan.
The IRGC
commander-in-chief, Maj Gen Hossein Salami, said: “We hear some threats from
American officials about targeting Iran. We tell them that you tested us and we
know each other. We do not leave any threat unanswered, and we do not look for
war, but we are not afraid of it. This is the well-known truth.”
It is
expected that more Iran-backed militia in Iraq are preparing to follow the
example of Kataib Hezbollah, the group blamed for the fatal drone attack on the
US service base on Sunday, and suspend operations against US bases as they
attempt to stave off an imminent American attack. Kataib Hezbollah, the most
powerful member of the Islamic Resistance group in Iraq, announced the decision
on Tuesday.
The UK
defence secretary, Grant Shapps, has flown to Washington for talks about the
crisis including the possible deployment of a British aircraft carrier to the
Red Sea to act as a substitute for the USS Dwight D Eisenhower, which is due to
end its tour of duty at an as yet unspecified point.
Houthi
forces continued to fire missiles at US naval ships in the Red Sea, but no
damage was caused.
On Tuesday,
Kataib Hezbollah said it would halt its attacks on American forces in the
Middle East.
“We’re
announcing the suspension of our military and security operations against the
occupying forces to avoid any embarrassment for the Iraqi government,” it wrote
on its website.
It insisted
that it took its actions independent of Iran, but it now looks likely that
other Iran-backed militia in Iraq will also suspend operations, a move that is
likely to be coordinated with Tehran.
Kataib
Hezbollah absolved Iran of all responsibility for the drone strike. Its
statement said: “Our brothers in the Resistance, especially in the Islamic
Republic, do not even know the nature of our jihad/military operations. Many
times they even objected to pressure and escalation against the Americans in
Iraq and Syria. Militia are ordered to temporarily defend passively if any
hostile American action occurs towards them.”
The
statement may be designed as a piece of information warfare intended to make
the US look like the side guilty of escalating matters, if a revenge attack
goes ahead. But there has also been intense political pressure from Iraq’s
prime minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, urging the militia to close down the
front against the US.
Washington
pledged a “very consequential” response to the attacks. John Kirby, the White
House’s national security spokesperson, said the US had still not identified
the specific group that attacked the US base, but believed the militants had
Iranian backing.
“We’re
still working through the analysis, but clearly the work has all the hallmarks
of groups that are backed by the IRGC and in fact by Hezbollah as well,” he
said.
Yemen’s
Iran-aligned Houthi group said on Wednesday it would keep up attacks on US and
British warships in the Red Sea in what it called acts of self-defence, stoking
fears of long-term disruptions to world trade.
Ameen
Hayyan, the group’s military spokesperson, said Houthi forces had fired at USS
Gravely late on Tuesday, adding: “All American and British warships in the Red
[Sea] … will be targeted within the legitimate defence of our country.”
James
Heappey, the UK armed forces minister, said on Tuesday that the UK could
“cooperate with the Americans” and step in to “plug a gap” in the Red Sea.
The UK has
two aircraft carriers designed to carry F-35 fighter jets. One is HMS Prince of
Wales, which would face its first combat operation if it were deployed. The
other is HMS Queen Elizabeth, which has been sent into combat once before.
American
F-35B jets have taken off from the deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth during Operation
Shader against Islamic State.
A separate
EU naval mission to protect shipping in the Red Sea will move a step closer
when EU defence ministers decide which country should take command.
The UK
foreign secretary, David Cameron, was in Saudi Arabia for further talks on how
to secure a lengthy humanitarian pause and a mass release of hostages in
exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners.
The talks
will also focus on the work Arab officials have been doing with the Palestinian
Authority on how it can be revitalised after the war and take administrative
charge of Gaza and the West Bank.
Saudi
Arabia has said it is not interested in helping with the reconstruction of Gaza
unless there is a clear pathway to a two-state solution supported by Israel.
Cameron has
caused a stir by holding out the hope of recognising Palestine before the end
of the peace talks.
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