Holy Shit. Pentagon issues a statement saying they were responsible for this.
They say it is retaliatory for actions authorised by Suleimani against US interests.
This is going to go pear shaped very very fast.
What is the authorisation process for this?
They say it is retaliatory for actions authorised by Suleimani against US interests.
This is going to go pear shaped very very fast.
What is the authorisation process for this?
Apparently the Trump administrators contacted US personnel in the region telling them they should write a will so they must be expecting retaliatory action from Iraq.
Pentagon: "At the direction of the President, the U.S. military has taken decisive defensive action to protect U.S. personnel abroad by killing Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization."
There appears to have been NO Congressional debate at all.
Yet these sort of actions are not only supposed to be DEBATED by Congress but authorised by Congress.
Yet these sort of actions are not only supposed to be DEBATED by Congress but authorised by Congress.
Trump on Obama in 2011.
Pentagon “justification” for this action.
From the Pentagon: “General Soleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region.”
From the Pentagon: “General Soleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region.”
“Big ‘ole can of whoop ass”.
Risking the start of war.
Risking the start of war.
Fuller Pentagon statement 
Petraeus was a US General and Director of the CIA.
There’ll be plenty of questions about legality in the days and weeks ahead.
Looks as if it wasn’t just without Congress authorisation but surprised those in the Trump administration too.
This from 3 days ago.
If Israel is involved the problems have just got bigger.
If Israel is involved the problems have just got bigger.
Oh Boy.a
Something on the American Constitutional arrangements re acts of war and self defence.
I have no expertise in this. But it looks as if they are laying the ground for an Article II self defence. I have only limited facts.
I have no expertise in this. But it looks as if they are laying the ground for an Article II self defence. I have only limited facts.
Iran’s Foreign Minister. “...the US bears all responsibility for all consequences of its its rogue advent”
A twist in the tale..
Apologies for the double post but I shan’t delete and break the thread.
Suggestion that Iraq provided intelligence to the USA...and that seems probable.
Suggestion that Iraq provided intelligence to the USA...and that seems probable.
This⬇️
Interesting 2017 New Yorker article here about the Trump organisation links to a business partner also linked to the Mammadov family, the Revolutionary Guard and money laundering
newyorker.com/news/news-desk…
newyorker.com/news/news-desk…
I wonder what the current state of affairs might be and whether Greenblatt is still a WH advisor?
If you, like me, have only a patchy understanding of the Middle East conflicts (to my shame) then this excellent article from @a_merat helps to fill in some of the knowledge gaps through the lens of Iran.
Here is another illuminating article by @OzKaterji
I know, if you are relatively unfamiliar with the Middle East political and social state of affairs it is a lot to take in. But we have to start from somewhere and it is important that we try.
I know, if you are relatively unfamiliar with the Middle East political and social state of affairs it is a lot to take in. But we have to start from somewhere and it is important that we try.
This thread about drones and Iran’s success and expertise in deploying them gives us a taste of the possible form of at least some of the retaliation might take.
Another @tomiahonen thread approaching the USA/Iran conflict from a different and very informative angle.
*Iran* dammit
Lest we forget the last Iraq War porkies from the USA, here is the now Vice President in 2004 either hoodwinked or lying through his teeth to hoodwink others.
To be clear (article courtesy of @njstone9 , thank you) there were abandoned buried chemical weapons found more by accident than design as neither congress nor troops and medical staff received adequate information. But not if the long range variety that drew us into the war
So the “intelligence” was faulty and we were insufficiently careful in testing it.
nytimes.com/interactive/20…
nytimes.com/interactive/20…
Despite claims from the US that they were not wanting a war they struck again causing 6 death and have mobilised an additional 3k troops and ordered diplomats and personnel to evacuate.
theguardian.com/world/2020/jan…
theguardian.com/world/2020/jan…
Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, that as a legal justification for the attack in which 10 people were killed, the Pentagon’s claims were “very vague”.
“Future is not the same as imminent, which is the time-based test required under international law,” she said.
That seems to bear out other concerns voice by experts in the field of International law.
That seems to bear out other concerns voice by experts in the field of International law.
Mary O’Connell, a professor of international law at the Uni of Notre Dame “Since Obama there has been a steady dilution of international law. Suleimani’s death marks the next dilution – we are moving down a slope towards a completely lawless situation.”
theguardian.com/us-news/2020/j…
theguardian.com/us-news/2020/j…
O’Connell added that there was only one step left for the US now to take. “To completely ignore the law. Frankly, I think President Trump is there already – his only argument has been that Suleimani was a bad guy and so he had to be killed.”
As a reminder that the people who pay the biggest price of all are the poor, largely helpless citizens who are caught in the middle of war.
@marcowenjones tweet analysis of Tweets in Farsi from Pompeo seeking evidence suggest two things to me.
This supposed “imminent threat” plan was maybe not so “imminent” and the tweets were amprlified by MAGA-type followers
threadreaderapp.com/thread/1198236…
This supposed “imminent threat” plan was maybe not so “imminent” and the tweets were amprlified by MAGA-type followers
threadreaderapp.com/thread/1198236…
