(2020-01-04). Geopolitical puzzle: What is behind Pompeo's visit to Kazakhstan? rt.com 
Kazakhstan is one of the stops on US State Secretary Mike Pompeo's whirlwind trip shortly after the New Year, with hopes that Washington can make inroads with a government in the key region between Russia, China and Afghanistan. | Washington has chosen to start 2020 by bringing its already strained relations with Iran to a whole new level of confrontation, as it ordered the killing of one of Tehran's top generals, Qassem Soleimani. The high-profile assassination is bound to make things difficult for the State Department. | And that's not to mention that it is far from being the only problem Pompeo and his staf…
(2020-01-04). Thousands mourn top Iranian General Soleimani and Iraqi PMF militia Deputy Commander al-Muhandis in Baghdad (PHOTOS). rt.com 
Massive crowds have gathered in Baghdad for a funeral procession for Iran's elite Quds Force leader, Qassem Soleimani, Iraqi militia chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, and others people killed in a US drone strike on Friday. | Mourners and supporters of Major General Soleimani and al-Muhandis, who was the deputy commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), are holding photos of both men along with Iraqi flags and flags of the Shia group Hezbollah. Many are dressed in black and are heard chanting "death to America." | | © Ahmad Al-Rubaye / AFP | Iraq's prime minister, Adel Abdel Mahdi, is also attendin…
(2020-01-04). Complete U-turn: Iraqi PMF militias retract claims of medics being targeted by US airstrike. rt.com 
The Iranian-backed Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) have dropped their claims that a medical convoy was destroyed in a US air raid along Taji road, north of Baghdad. | In a new press release cited by several news agencies, the PMF leadership retracted their statement in which the group said their medics were hit by a US airstrike. | This happened after Reuters cited Iraqi Army sources who said that six people were killed in a raid near Taji. | The Iraqi Army, however, later denied that an airstrike took place there. In a statement quoted by local media, the military urged everyone to be "careful" about…
(2020-01-04). US-led coalition DENIES conducting airstrikes north of Baghdad amid reports of medics killed in US raid. rt.com 
The US-led coalition spokesman said the forces did not hit targets near Camp Taji north of Baghdad, after Iran-backed Iraqi militia reportedly claimed that medics were hit in a recent air raid on a convoy late Friday. | The US-led forces "did NOT conduct airstrikes" in the area in recent days, the spokesperson for Operation Inherent Resolve, Colonel Myles Caggins, tweeted. | @CJTFOIR did NOT conduct airstrikes near Camp Taji (north of Baghdad) in recent days.— OIR Spokesman Col. Myles B. Caggins III (@OIRSpox) Januar…
(2020-01-04). British Navy to escort UK-flagged ships though Strait of Hormuz after Soleimani killing. rt.com 
The UK Defense Ministry has ordered its Navy vessels to provide "protection" to all British-flagged ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf following the death of Iran's top general in a US drone attack. | The ministry has ordered the Royal Navy's HMS Montrose frigate and HMS Defender destroyer to prepare for accompanying all vessels sailing under the British flag through the Hormuz Strait — the only passage from the Persian Gulf to the ocean that lies between the Iranian and UAE coasts. | "The government will take all necessary steps to protect our ships and citizens at this time," Defens…
(2020-01-04). US-led coalition members suspend Iraq operations as region submerged in outrage over Iranian general's killing. rt.com 
Members of the international coalition gathered to fight Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) have suspended operations in Iraq after the targeted assassination of a top Iranian general by the US. | Germany's Bundeswehr will put on pause all military missions in Iraq, it announced late on Friday night. That includes both operations aimed against IS and training of Kurdish troops. There are around 130 German soldiers deployed in Iraq at the m…
(2020-01-04). China on Soleimani killing: US should not abuse military power, we are watching. rt.com 
Washington's Iran policy is counterproductive and the killing of Qassem Soleimani is an abuse of US military force, a senior Chinese diplomat said in a call with Tehran, adding Beijing will play a "constructive" role in the Gulf. | Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed that his nation opposes the use of military force after hearing from his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif, who condemned the US' targeted assassination of Major General Qassem Soleimani on Friday. Wang stressed that the US operation was a breach of international norms and threatened to significantly increase turbulence in the region. | The Tr…
(2020-01-04). Trump says US to strike 52 Iranian sites 'VERY FAST and VERY HARD' if Tehran moves to avenge general's death. rt.com 
US President Donald Trump has said the US military have identified 52 sites important to Iran and its culture which its ready to rain hellfire upon if Teheran targets US citizens or assets to avenge the killing of its top general.
(2020-01-04). 'End #TrumpsWar now', US congresswoman & presidential candidate Gabbard tweets after drone strike killed Iranian general. rt.com 
US Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, one of the Democratic Party contenders in the 2020 presidential race, said American armed forces must leave Iraq and Syria, instead of pushing towards war. | "End #TrumpsWar now. Remove our troops from Iraq and Syria," the politician from Hawaii tweeted on Saturday. | End #TrumpsWar now. Remove our troops from Iraq and Syria.— Tulsi Gabbard üå∫ (@TulsiGabbard) January 4, 2020
(2020-01-04). 'Supermani': CNN contributor falls for obvious Iran satire as US journos struggle to understand who Soleimani really was. rt.com 
Neoconservative mainstream media favorite Michael Weiss appears to have fallen for a satirical piece on Qassem Soleimani that claimed the man did not cast a shadow and was nicknamed "Supermani." | Daily Beast senior editor and frequent CNN guest Michael Weiss is earning plenty of mockery on social media following him appearing to fall for a clearly satirical story on the legend of Qassem Soleimani, the late Iranian general recently assassinated by the US military. | "It was a well cultivated (and mythologized) aura, which the…
(2020-01-04). 35 'vital US & Israeli targets' within Iran's reach for potential REVENGE for General Soleimani's death — senior IRGC commander. rt.com 
Iran reserves the right to avenge the US' killing of Major General Qassem Soleimani, with dozens of potential targets already on the list, a senior commander within the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says. | "Vital American targets in the region have been identified by Iran a long time ago," General Gholamali Abuhamzeh, who leads the IRGC in Iran's southern Kerman Province, said on Friday evening, as quoted by Tasnim News Agency. | 35 US targets in the region as well as Tel Aviv are within our reach. | The commander did not name any specific targets but mentioned that US warships have been ope…
(2020-01-04). US escalates war on Iran and Iraq — Discussion with Rania Khalek, Max Blumenthal, Ben Norton, Aaron Mate. thegrayzone.com The Grayzone held a live discussion of the US escalation of war on Iran and Iraq, with Trump's assassination of…
(2020-01-04). Thousands Take to Streets Across US to Protest Trump's March to War Against Iran. truthout.org Thousands of people in dozens of cities across the United States on Saturday took to the streets to condemn the Trump administration's " reckless acts of war" against Iran and demand that the U.S. withdraw its troops from the Middle East. | From New York City to Chicago to Arkansas and more than 70 other locations around the U.S., demonstrators rallied against the assassina…
(2020-01-04). A Major Conventional War Against Iran Is an Impossibility. Crisis within the US Command Structure. globalresearch.ca What both the media and military analysts fail to acknowledge is that US CENTCOM's forward Middle East headquarters at the al-Udeid military base close to Doha de facto "lies in enemy territory". Since the May 2017 split of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Qatar has become a staunch ally of Iran…
(2020-01-04). Trump's march to war on Iran aided by Democrats' weakness on sanctions, nuclear deal. thegrayzone.com The US assassination of Qasem Soleimani, a top Iranian military commander, is the culmination of three years of Trump administration…
(2020-01-04). No War with Iran! (San Mateo). indybay.org corner 3rd Ave and El Camino | 300 So El Camino Real | San Mateo, CA 94402…
(2020-01-04). Native People urge peace and friendship with Iran, demand U.S. get out of Iraq. indybay.org Native Americans spoke out today, urging peace and friendship with the people of Iraq and Iran, and called out Trump for assassinations and provocations to escalate war.
(2020-01-04). Monterey Protest: No War on Iran! U.S. Out of Iraq! indybay.org Window On The Bay / Monterey Waterfront Park, Del Monte Ave, Monterey, California 93940…
(2020-01-04). Sacramento Protest: U.S. Troops Out of Iraq! No War on Iran! indybay.org Intersection of 9th Street and K Street, Downtown Sacramento…
(2020-01-04). Protest in Davis: No War on Iran! U.S. Troops Out of Iraq! indybay.org B Street and 5th Street, Davis, CA…
(2020-01-04). Trump Unites Iran and Iraq… Against the United States. commondreams.org People gather to stage a protest against the killing of Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani by a U.S. airstrike in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, after Friday prayer in Tehran, Iran on January 3, 2020. (Photo: Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/iran_2.jpg …
(2020-01-04). Urgent Call For Action Against A U.S. War On Iran. indybay.org Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) emphatically opposes a U.S. war with Iran. In light of the U.S.'s act of war against Iran, putting the two nations close to the brink of war, DSA calls on all members and chapters to mobilize against yet another U.S. war in the Middle East.
(2020-01-04). The murder of Qassem Soleimani and assassination as state policy. wsws.org In a reckless and criminal act, the Trump administration has effectively declared war on Iran, threatening to drag the whole world into a catastrophic conflict.
(2020-01-04). No War On Iran (Santa Cruz). indybay.org Town Clock, Pacific Avenue and Water Street, Santa Cruz…
(2020-01-04). the new hitler : donald trump ! indybay.org The bilderbergs now want war on Iran – and they are trying to gather western consensus for it by the usual means : lies and wanton murder.
(2020-01-04). Trump Paints Himself as Defender of Faith for Evangelicals. telesurenglish.net U.S. President Donald Trump turned a mega-church revival gathering into a campaign rally on Friday, referring to a group of evangelical supporters on issues that include claims of Democratic Party anti-Semitism, the promise to take the prayer to public schools and even dared to mention the recent assassination of an Iranian Major-General. | RELATED: | Pentagon Confirms It Killed Iran's Soleimani on Trump's Orders | Trump spoke on the outskirts of Miami at the King Jesus Internati…
(2020-01-04). '35 Vital US Posts Are Within Reach of Iran', Iranian Commander. telesurenglish.net Iran's Revolutionary Guard commander Gholamali Abuhamzeh Friday warned that his country will punish the United States anywhere within the reach of the Islamic Republic in retaliation for the murder of General Qassem Soleimani. | RELATED: | US Deploys 3,000 Troops to the Middle East as War Concern Grows | Abuhamzeh, who stressed that Tehran has identified vital U.S. goals in the Middle East for a long time, mentioned a series of possible targets for reprisals including the Gulf…
(2020-01-04). Neoliberalism and the Killing for Profit in Iraq. globalresearch.ca On January 2, 2020, a US airstrike killed a high-profile commander of Iran's secretive Quds Force, Qassim Suleimani, a commander of Iran's military forces in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and elsewhere in the Middle East. Another man, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis…
(2020-01-04). Brazilians Ask Bolsonaro Not to Comment on US Attack in Iraq. telesurenglish.net The U.S. attack in Baghdad, which has ended the life of Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani and other Iraqi military figures, represent a new escalade of tensions between Washington and Persian Gulf nations and have caused a whole series of speculations on social networks about the consequences it will have. | RELATED: | A 1st Year to Forget: 80% Distrust Brazil's Bolsonaro | While the supreme leader of Iran, Ali Hoseiní Khameneí, promised revenge, the U.S. president, Donald T…
(2020-01-04). Bernie Sanders Touts Antiwar Record as Trump Barrels Toward War With Iran. truthout.org As Democratic presidential hopefuls scrambled to respond after President Trump ordered the assassination on Thursday of a top Iranian military commander, Sen. Bernie Sanders touted his antiwar voting record on the campaign trail and laid out a vague but bold vision for removing U.S. troops from the Middle East while redirecting overseas military spending to programs that improve life for people back home. | The United States and Iran appear to be at the brink of war, or at least a proxy war, whi…
(2020-01-04). Rockets Fired After Day of Mourning for Slain Iranian Leader. truthdig.com Rocket falls near U.S. Embassy in Iraq hours after funeral for Qassem Soleimani at which crowd chants "Death to America, death to Israel."
(2020-01-04). Iran reserves right to self-defense, 'harsh revenge' for Soleimani coming — Tehran's envoy to UN. rt.com 
Calling the US killing of General Qassem Soleimani "criminal" and an act of terrorism, the Iranian envoy to the UN said his country reserves the right to act in self-defense and threatened vengeance in US media interviews. | The killing of Soleimani "by any measure, is an obvious example of State terrorism and, as a criminal act, constitutes a gross violation of the fundamental principles of international law, including, in particular, those stipulated in the Charter of the United Nations," Ambassador Majid Takht Ravanchi wrote in a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and the Security Council on Fr…
(2020-01-04). 'Iran will punish Americans wherever they are within its reach'. yenisafak.com Iran will punish Americans wherever they are within reach of the Islamic Republic in retaliation for the killing of miliary commander Qassem Soleimani, Tasnim news agency quoted a senior Revolutionary Guards commander as saying.General Gholamali Abuhamzeh, the commander of the Guards in the southern province of Kerman, raised the prospect of possible attacks on ships in the Gulf.Iran reserved the right to take revenge against the United States for the death of Soleimani, he said in comments made late on Friday and reported on Saturday by Tasnim."The Strait of Hormuz is a vital point for the West and a large numb…
(2020-01-04). US resumes Pakistan military training program. yenisafak.com Washington has resumed a military training program with Pakistan, U.S. officials said.The announcement on Friday said that the International Military Education and Training Program (IMET) came just hours after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke to Pakistani Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa to discuss the killing of senior Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani."To strengthen mil2mil [military to military] cooperation on shared priorities advance US national security, @POTUS [President of The United States] authorized the resumption of International Military Education and Training #IMET for Pak…
(2020-01-04). Iraq: US military presence in country could be ended. yenisafak.com Iraq's National Security Council suggested that Baghdad could ask the Washington to withdraw troops from the country on the heels of a U.S. airstrike in the capital Baghdad that killed a senior commander of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) and another from the Iraqi Hashd al-Shaabi group.The council in a meeting on Friday chaired by Iraq's Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi discussed a U.S. airstrike that killed Qasem Soleimani, commander of the IRGC Quds Forces, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, vice head of Hashd al-Shaabi group, or Popular Mobilization Units (PMU).Condemning the killing, the council declar…
(2020-01-04). US killing of Iranian top general way out of proportion: Expert. yenisafak.com Nobody expected "such a drastic response" from the U.S., a global affairs expert said about the killing of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad."The U.S.'s response to the embassy attack in Bagdad was inevitable given that the act itself was in diplomatic terms outrageous but nobody, not even the most seasoned observer of the region, expected such a drastic response. This was way out of proportion," Mehmet Ali Tugtan, International Relations professor at Istanbul Bilgi University told Anadolu Agency.Tugtan said Iraq, in the ongoing conflict, would "inevitably be ground zero" and the…
(2020-01-04). Turkish, Iranian FMs talk over Soleimani's killing. yenisafak.com Turkey's Mevlut Cavusoglu and Iran's Javad Zarif discussed the killing of senior Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad, the sources said on condition of anonymity.Soleimani's death marked a dramatic escalation in tensions between the U.S. and Iran, which have often been at a fever pitch since President Donald Trump chose in 2018 to unilaterally withdraw Washington from a 2015 nuclear pact world powers struck with Tehran.Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who gave Soleimani the country's highest honor last year, vowed "severe retaliation" in response to his killing.Soleimani was the long…
(2020-01-04). Thousands mourn Soleimani at Baghdad funeral. yenisafak.com Thousands of mourners gathered in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on Saturday at the start of a funeral procession for top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone airstrike a day earlier.Iranian and Iraqi officials were present at the procession, which is being held amid tight security conditions, according to an Anadolu Agency reporter.Soleimani, the leader of Iran's Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, was killed when a U.S. drone struck his convoy outside Baghdad's airport on Friday.The Iranian general's slaying marked a dramatic escalation in tensions between the U.S. and Iran, which have of…
(2020-01-04). Iran's top security body vows 'revenge' for Soleimani. yenisafak.com Iran's top security body has vowed "harsh retaliation" to the killing of military commander Qasem Soleimani in a U.S. drone airstrike in Iraq."The regime of the United States will be responsible for all the consequences of this criminal adventurism," Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) said in a statement following an emergency meeting late Friday."The U.S. should know that the criminal attack against Gen. Soleimani was its biggest strategic mistake in West Asia and it will not easily get away with the consequences of this miscalculation," it said.Soleimani, the leader of Iran's Revolutionary Guards'
(2020-01-04). Trump Is Doing the Bidding of Washington's Most Vile Cabal. zcomm.org While the media focus for three years of the Trump presidency has centered around "Russia collusion" and impeachment, the most dangerous collusion of all was happening right out in the open — the Trump/Saudi/Israel/UAE drive to war with Iran…
(2020-01-04). Why Trump is escalating the US-Israeli war on Iran. zcomm.org Understanding this perverted logic is essential to seeing why the US and Israel appear so determined to pursue conflict with Iran no matter the human cost…
(2020-01-03). Iran Vows 'Harsh' Response to U.S. Killing of Top General. truthdig.com 
BAGHDAD — Iran vowed "harsh retaliation" for a U.S. airstrike near Baghdad's airport that killed a top Iranian general who had been the architect of its interventions across the Middle East, as tensions soared in the wake of the targeted killing. | The killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force, marks a major escalation in the standoff between Washington and Iran, which has careened from one crisis to another since President Donald Trump withdrew from…
(2020-01-03). NOTICIA de URGENCIA: Trump comienza la guerra contra Irán: Todos a las marchas, Sábado, 4 de enero, Día Nacional de Acción. liberationnews.org 
La administración Trump y el Pentágono se han movido para comenzar una guerra con Irán asesinando a Qassem Soleimani, el principal líder militar de ese país.
(2020-01-03). 6 killed in airstrike north of Baghdad targeting convoy carrying Shia militia members — report. rt.com 
A convoy carrying members of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an umbrella group of Iran-backed militias, was hit by an airstrike while traveling in Baghdad, media reports say. The PMF said that medics were in the cars. | The three-car convoy was struck in the northern outskirts of the Iraqi capital in the district of al-Taji late on Friday, according to an Iraqi military source cited by Reuters. Six militiamen were reportedly killed in the attack, with three others critically injured. It remains unclear who carried out the strike. | Reports of an airstrike targeted a vehicle carrying important Iraqi (…
(2020-01-03). Pompeo in Iran damage control? US 'committed to de-escalation,' Soleimani killing 'saved American lives'. rt.com 
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo assured everyone that Washington wants to ease the tensions in the Middle East, while defending the killing of Iranian elite Quds Force commander as "defensive action." | Pompeo made his remarks after speaking over the phone with British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and Yang Jiechi, the head of the Chinese ruling Communist Party's Foreign Affairs Commission. | "The US remains committed to de-escalation," Pompeo said. | A US drone strike killed Major General Qassem Soleimani at Baghdad's airport on Friday morning. The Pentagon later reveale…
(2020-01-03). A Dubious Official Story Masks the True Motives Behind the Soleimani Assassination. mintpressnews.com 
Behind the official yet dubious justifications for the U.S. airstrike that killed a top Iranian general on Friday lies a confluence of factors — some decades in the making, others more recent — that are pushing the U.S. towards yet another catastrophic war in the Middle East.
(2020-01-03). U.S. Assassination of Soleimani Could Spark "Another Round of Civil War" in Iraq. democracynow.org 
After the United States assassinated Iranian commander Major General Qassem Soleimani in a major escalation of the conflict between Iran and the United States, which now threatens to engulf Iraq and the Middle East, we get response from Iraqi journalist Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, who says the U.S. killing of Soleimani was reckless. "Did anyone consult Iraqis about the assassination of Qassem Soleimani on Iraqi soil?" he asks. "We don't want another round of civil war."
(2020-01-03). Democratic lawmakers score Trump for drone strike killing of Suleimani. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—Many congressional Democrats—along with party presidential hopefuls Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, and Elizabeth Warren—are warning that President Donald Trump's targeted drone assassination strike in Iraq that killed top Iranian military leader Gen. Qassim Suleimani will trigger Iranian retaliation, a regional war in the Middle East, or both. And experts in the region add Trump ordered …
(2020-01-03). Iraqi Protesters Storm the American Embassy in Baghdad — But There's More to the Story. therealnews.com 
Tens of thousands of people in Iraq are demonstrating against the government there, the United States, and Iran. York University's Thabit Abdullah explains that at the heart of the story is Iraq torn asunder by the United States.
(2020-01-03). Rep. Ro Khanna on Qassem Soleimani Assassination: Trump's Actions Are Unconstitutional. democracynow.org 
We continue our discussion of the U.S. assassination of Iranian commander Major General Qassem Soleimani with Democratic Congressmember Ro Khanna of California. Khanna says he believes the assassination was planned for some time and that Congress has failed to hold the Trump administration accountable. "I believe that the president's policies are putting us in tremendous danger, and the motives are almost not relevant. What's relevant is that he acted in a way that's unconstitutional," Khanna says.