2020-01-07: News Headlines

Staff (2020-01-07). Is This the End of U.S. Interference in the Middle East? truthdig.com However Iran chooses to respond to the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, America's influence in the region is guaranteed to deteriorate.

RT (2020-01-07). Evidence? What evidence? Pompeo shows no proof of 'imminent' Soleimani attacks. rt.com The US says that Iranian General Qassem Soleimani was plotting "imminent and sinister" attacks against its diplomats and military personnel. But when Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was pressed for evidence of this, he gave none. | Soleimani, commander of the Iranian military's Quds Force, was assassinated in a drone strike in Baghdad, Iraq, on Friday. Before the strike, President Donald Trump implicated Iran in a fatal rocket attack on an American base in Iraq in December, and in the storming of the American embassy in Baghdad by protesters last week. Afterwards, he said that Soleimani was killed to prevent "i…

NationAction (2020-01-07). Take Action Now: No War With Iran. thenation.com Protest endless war, learn about the situation in Iran, and work towards peace at home and abroad.

Jesse Jackson (2020-01-07). Trump is leading U.S. toward war without end in the Middle East. peoplesworld.org It has come to this. An impeached president—still pending trial in the Senate—orders the assassination of a leading Iranian general as he is meeting with the leader of Iraq, a supposed ally. He does so without consultation, much less approval, of Congress. Besieged at home, he lashes out abroad. This president ran on the promise …

RT (2020-01-07). US deploys 6 B-52 strategic bombers to Indian Ocean base amid drastic spike in tensions with Iran — report. rt.com The US Air Force is sending six B-52 Stratofortress long-range bombers to Diego Garcia, a secretive military outpost in the Indian Ocean, as tension soars in the wake of a US assassination strike on a top Iranian general. | The bombers will be "available for operations against Iran if ordered," CNN's Barbara Starr reported Monday, citing an unnamed US official, though the reporter noted the new deployment "does not signal that operations have been ordered." | Pentagon to begin sending 6 B-52s to Diego Garcia: US official. B-52s will be available for operations against Iran if ordered, the official said. But th…

RT (2020-01-07). Netanyahu backs away from Soleimani assassination, warns ministers to 'stay out' of purely 'American event'. rt.com Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly warned his cabinet not to get too involved in the US murder of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, lest Tel Aviv gets dragged into the escalating conflict between Washington and Tehran. | "The assassination of Soleimani isn't an Israeli event but an American event. We were not involved and should not be dragged into it," Netanyahu reportedly told his security cabinet during a meeting on Monday, as cited by Israel's Channel 13. He advised ministers to avoid speaking to the media about Thursday's targeted assassination beyond supporting the US' right to defend itself, s…

Steve Sweeney (2020-01-07). Iraqi prime minister: Trump used diplomatic cover to lure Soleimani to his death. peoplesworld.org President Donald Trump has been accused of committing a war crime after claims that Iranian General Qassem Soleimani was lured to Iraq, where he was assassinated by a U.S. drone strike on Friday. Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi stated that he was due to meet the elite Quds force commander after he landed in Baghdad …

Jack Rasmus (2020-01-07). Trump vs. Iran: Has the US Crossed the Escalation to War Rubicon? counterpunch.org Wars occur when ideologues and/or reckless leaders in position of power are willing to engage in high risk brinksmanship in foreign policy military adventures—often as a distraction from their growing domestic problems. Their megolomania often leads them to misread the potential response of their targeted adversary, setting off a process of unavoidable tit for tat More

RT (2020-01-07). Trump follows Pentagon and State Department lead, says he wants US troops out of Iraq eventually — but not just yet. rt.com While he would like to bring the US troops home at some point, President Donald Trump ruled out leaving Iraq at this time, claiming most Iraqis support ongoing US presence and that pulling out would lead to an Iranian takeover. | "It's something ultimately that I want to see, we can't be there forever," Trump said Tuesday, asked if he would pull out troops from Iraq. "Eventually, we want to be able to let Iraq run its own affairs… but this isn't the right point," he quickly added. | If we leave, that means Iran would have a much bigger foothold. | The president's words echoed the rhetoric coming from the Pen…

RT (2020-01-07). US denies Iran's FM Zarif visa to address Security Council in violation of UN treaty. rt.com Washington has refused to issue a visa to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, even though, as the host of the United Nations headquarters, the US is obliged to allow foreign officials into the country. | The visa request was filed several weeks ago, before the latest escalation, and would give the top Iranian diplomat a stage to speak out following last Thursday's drone strike assassination of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Qassem Soleimani, along with senior Iraqi militia leaders. | "They fear that someone comes to the US and reveals realities," Zarif said after being denied a v…

RT (2020-01-07). Ms. Ocasio-Cortez Goes to Washington: AOC shamed into un-liking antiwar journalist's tweet, apologizing for wrongthink. rt.com New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez learned the hard way about the phalanx of thought-police waiting to pounce on politicians' 'wrongthink' when she was shamed into un-liking a tweet from an antiwar journalist. | Ocasio-Cortez (AOC, for short) stepped a little too far outside the mainstream when she clicked 'like' on a tweet by journalist Rania Khalek about US fears of Iranian retaliation over the killing of General Qassem Soleimani. An army of blue-checks and their enforcers quickly encircled her to point out the error of her ways, gloating when she finally knuckled under and apologized. | Last ni…

RT (2020-01-07). Iraqi militias threaten to send US troops home in coffins & target civilians if they re-elect Trump. rt.com The US public must persuade Donald Trump to withdraw American troops from Iraq or become the target of retaliation, Iraqi militias, whose commander was killed in the airstrike on Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, warned. | The deputy commander of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, was among the Iranian and Iraqi officials killed in a US operation in Baghdad on Friday. | And PMF, which unites some 40 militias and has around 150,000 members, promised that they won't let American "criminals" get away with murder. | "All retaliation options are on the table… no red lines shall hinde…

David Price (2020-01-07). 52 Pick-Up: Trump's Deranged Threats to Bomb the Past. counterpunch.org On January 4th, President Trump tweeted that his military response to any Iranian military reactions to his assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani could include attacks on "52 Iranian sites (representing the 52 American hostages taken by Iran many years ago), some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture, and those targets, and Iran itself, WILL BE HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD." For an administration whose acts in the present routinely require Orwellian carpet-bombing campaigns on the past (consider Mike Pence's lie this week that Iran was involved in the 9/11 attacks), t…

RT (2020-01-07). Burial of slain Iranian general Soleimani delayed due to huge crowds, STAMPEDE kills 50 — state media. rt.com The burial of assassinated Iranian commander General Qassem Soleimani has been postponed due to a deadly stampede which erupted on Tuesday during the funeral procession, state media reported. | Iranians poured into the streets of Soleimani's hometown of Kerman on Tuesday to pay their final respects. Photographs of the funeral procession show throngs of mourners dressed in black. Some carried flags and portraits of the slain Quds Force leader as they slowly moved through the town. Local media estimated that several million people attended the funeral. | | Iranian mourners gather around a vehicle carrying the…

RT (2020-01-07). Burial of slain Iranian general Soleimani delayed due to huge crowds, STAMPEDE kills 40 — state media. rt.com The burial of assassinated Iranian commander General Qassem Soleimani has been postponed due to a stampede which erupted on Tuesday during the funeral procession, state media reported. | Iranians poured into the streets of Soleimani's hometown of Kerman on Tuesday to pay their final respects. Photographs of the funeral procession show throngs of mourners dressed in black. Some carried flags and portraits of the slain Quds Force leader as they slowly moved through the town. Local media estimated that several million people attended the funeral. | | Iranian mourners gather around a vehicle carrying the coffin…

Robert Fisk (2020-01-07). Trump is Starting a War With Iran, Whether by Accident or Design. counterpunch.org Is this war by accident or war by design? We've all said that a major war in the Middle East could start by accident. But no one thought Donald Trump would go for the jugular quite like this. To kill General Qassem Soleimani is a sword at the heart of Iran, without doubt. And on whose behalf? More

RT (2020-01-07). Americans approve of Trump's assassination of Soleimani… even though 60% had never heard of him — poll. rt.com A new poll has found that Americans doubt Donald Trump has a clear Iran policy, but nonetheless they support the decision to kill Qassem Soleimani — who, remarkably, had been an unknown entity for the majority of respondents. | Forty-three percent of Americans said they approved of the US drone strike that killed the Iranian commander last week in Baghdad, while 38% disapproved and 19% said they were unsure, according to the results of a HuffPost/YouGov survey. | The somewhat…

John Wojcik (2020-01-07). Sanders criticizes Biden's record on the Mideast. peoplesworld.org The Trump-ordered killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, Iran's second in command, has made its way into the 2020 presidential campaign, with Bernie Sanders, on national television yesterday, stepping up his sharp criticism of former Vice President Joe Biden. Sanders singled out Biden's record on foreign policy for special condemnation, saying Biden was not the person …

Norman Solomon (2020-01-07). The Democratic Party's Militarism Rears Its Ugly Head. truthdig.com There's nothing like an illegal and utterly reckless U.S. act of war to illuminate the political character of presidential candidates. In the days since the assassination of Iran's top military official, two of the highest-polling Democratic contenders have displayed the kind of moral cowardice that got the United States into—and kept it in —horrific wars from Vietnam to Afghanistan and Iraq. | Eager to hedge their bets, Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg have offered merely tactical critiques of President Trump's decision to kill Qassim Suleimani. In sharp contrast to Elizabeth Warren and especially Bernie…

RT (2020-01-07). Iran 'not interested' in having nukes, will stick to JCPOA once given benefits in return — UN envoy. rt.com Prohibited by the supreme leader's decree, nuclear weapons are inconsistent with Iran's defensive doctrine, the country's UN envoy said after Tehran announced the suspension of limits under the 2015 deal. | Iran's decision to lift restrictions on uranium enrichment — after a US drone strike killed General Qassem Soleimani near Baghdad International Airport — made headlines in Western media, with some speculating that the Islamic Republic could be seeking nuclear weapons. | However, Iran's ambassador to the UN, Majid Takht-Ravanchi, reassured the public that this is not the case — even though the…

RT (2020-01-07). S. Korea moves Patriot missile unit to Seoul amid growing uncertainty over denuclearization talks with Pyongyang — report. rt.com South Korea has deployed a Patriot missile unit to central Seoul, state media has reported, as part of an effort to safeguard the country from its nuclear-armed northern neighbor. | The unit, previously stationed in the southeastern region of North Gyeongsang Province, was moved to a former military installation located behind the presidential office compound, Yonhap news agency reported, citing sources familiar with the matter. The redeployment was reportedly carried out earlier this month. | It is also mentioned in the report that the unit is believed to be equipped with missiles capable of intercepting an a…

Tracy Keeling (2020-01-07). Ilhan Omar just pointed out one really f**ked up detail about Trump's war on Iran. thecanary.co Donald Trump effectively started a war with Iran on 3 January by assassinating one of the country's top generals. As would be the case with virtually any other regional power, Iran has vowed to respond. | Congresswoman Ilhan Omar took to Twitter on 6 January and pointed out one sobering, maddening, and…

Ben Norton (2020-01-07). Iranian and Hezbollah leaders oppose attacking civilians as Trump threatens to bomb cultural sites. thegrayzone.com Washington's top bogeymen, Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei and Hezbollah leader Nasrallah, called to protect civilians and only hit military targets. Meanwhile,…

Ben Norton (2020-01-07). Iranian and Hezbollah leaders condemn attacking civilians as Trump threatens to bomb cultural sites. thegrayzone.com Washington's top bogeymen, Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei and Hezbollah leader Nasrallah, called to protect civilians and only hit military targets. Meanwhile,…

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-01-07). America, An Empire on its Last Leg: To be Kicked Out from the Middle East? globalresearch.ca America's hegemonic military agenda in the Middle East has reached a dangerous threshold. | The assassination of IRGC General Soleimani ordered by the President of the United States on January 3, 2020 is tantamount to an Act of War against Iran….

Aaron Maté (2020-01-07). Lawrence Wilkerson on Trump's Iran aggression: same neocon lies, new target. thegrayzone.com As millions of Iranians mourn the US murder of Qassem Soleimani, ex-Bush administration official Col. Lawrence Wilkerson discuses the parallels…

All the Same Lie (2020-01-07). From 9/11 Inside Job to Political Assassinations. indybay.org From the 9/11 Inside Job, the American Reichstag Fire perpetrated by Bush on 9/11/01 to the Assassination of Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani who was delivering a peace proposal to Saudi Arabia in Iraq, the motive is the same: perpetrate war and fascism to maximize profits, the greatest profits being in oil and munitions. See thegrayzone.com/2020/01/06/soleimani-peace-mission-assassinated-trump-lie-imminent-attacks/

Fight Back (2020-01-07). Cleveland activists rally against U.S. attack on Iran. fightbacknews.org Cleveland, OH – Anti-war activists took to Market Square in Cleveland, Ohio on Saturday, January 4, at noon to denounce U.S. imperialism and aggression towards Iran following the murder of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani by the Trump regime. | Chanting slogans of "1, 2, 3, 4, we don't want your racist war! 5, 6, 7, 8, stop the killings, stop the hate!" and "We are people, we want peace! U.S. out of Middle East!" around 100 protesters rallied as prepared speeches were given by representatives from the Workers World Party, Cleveland State University's Middle East and Northern Africa student group, Pe…

Fight Back (2020-01-07). Grand Rapids, MI protest against war with Iran. fightbacknews.org Grand Rapids, MI – On January 4, about 35 people gathered at the intersection of Division and Fulton, the center point of Grand Rapids, to express their outrage and protest the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force. Soleimani was killed outside Baghdad's airport. | Signs read: "No war on Iran," "U.S. out of Iraq and the Middle East," "No war," "Bad president/bad decisions" and the iconic "Give peace a chance." The crowd chanted, "No more war" and "No war in Iran." | Organized by a small group of progressive activists, the protest attracted a diverse group of people from or…

Fight Back (2020-01-07). Milwaukee: Protesters stand against act of war on Iran, say, "Not in our name" fightbacknews.org Milwaukee, WI – The four corners of 27th and West Oklahoma on Milwaukee's South Side were filled with protesters on the afternoon of January 4. Activists were gathered to stand against the U.S.'s acts of war against Iran. It was a chilly afternoon, the wind biting into those assembled, but loud chanting intermingled with the frequent honks from motorists on the busy Milwaukee streets echoed into the area. | "Honk for peace! Honk for peace! No more war in the Middle East!" chanted 100 demonstrators brave enough to stand against the imperialist war machine. Everyone held banners, flags or handmade signs. | Kellie L…

John Scales Avery (2020-01-07). Attacks on Iran, Past and Present. counterpunch.org The assassination of General Qasem Soleimani On Friday, 3 January, 2020, progressives in the United States and all peace-loving people throughout the world were horrified to learn that Donald Tromp had added to his long list of crimes and imbicilities by ordering the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani, who is a hero in his own More

Dimitri Lascaris (2020-01-07). Invoke U.N.'s Uniting For Peace Resolution Before Trump Embroils Us In War With Iran. dissidentvoice.org In the early hours of January 3, 2020, the United States military assassinated Iran's most powerful military commander, General Qasem Soleimani. Soleimani's killing, accomplished by means of a drone strike in Baghdad, was done without the authorization of the Iraqi government. It thus constitutes a grave breach of Iraqi sovereignty. It also constitutes an act of …

Laura Savinkoff (2020-01-07). Canadian Peace Congress Condemns Imperial War Crimes. globalresearch.ca Dear Friends for Peace, | The Canadian Peace Congress condemns the murders of Iranian General Soleimani and others in the motorcade leaving Baghdad International Airport on January 3rd, 2020 as an act of war by the United States against Iraq and …

Fight Back (2020-01-07). Minneapolis joins with 90 U.S. cities to say "U.S. troops out of Iraq – no war on Iran" fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – On January 4, over 700 people took to the streets of Minneapolis to denounce the Trump administration's moves to provoke a war with Iran and their prolonging the U.S. occupation of Iraq. Protests also took place in at least 90 cities across the United States. | The protest, called on two days' notice in response to escalating U.S. military actions in Iraq and threats against Iran, brought out a wide range of people to speak out against the U.S. war threats. | The Minneapolis protest was initiated by Minnesota Peace Action Coalition and endorsed by a range of groups including Anti-War Committee,…

Text: R.R. Photos: Bernie Bob Jung (2020-01-07). In San José, Protesters Say We've Got a Moron with a War On. indybay.org Many interesting signs and flags from national day of action against war on Iran in San José, California. | January 4, 2020.

Ryan Costello (2020-01-07). Trump and His Team Are Lying Their Way to War with Iran. globalresearch.ca President Trump ordering the killing of Qassem Soleimani is troubling on several fronts. The assassination has been treated as an act of war in Iran, uniting disparate political factions after a brutal crackdown on protesters in November. Now, U.S. forces …

ANSWER Coalition (2020-01-07). San Francisco: Global Day of Protest – No War on Iran! indybay.org Powell + Market Street, San Francisco…

Staff (2020-01-07). Noam Chomsky: US Is a Rogue State and Suleimani's Assassination Confirms It. truthout.org Trump's decision to assassinate one of Iran's most prominent and highly respected military leaders, Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, has added yet another name to the list of people killed by the U.S. — which many rightly see as the world's biggest rogue state. | The assassination has escalated hostilities between Tehran and Washington and created an even more explosive situation in the politically volatile Middle East. As was to be expected, Iran has vowed to retaliate on its own terms for the…

Ramzy Baroud — Romana Rubeo (2020-01-07). Killing Soleimani Reflects US Desperation in the Middle East. counterpunch.org By killing top Iranian military commander, Qasem Soleimani, American and Israeli leaders demonstrated the idiom 'out of the frying pan into the fire.' US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are both politically and legally embattled — the former has just been impeached and the latter is dogged by an Attorney General More

South Front (2020-01-07). Video: Qassem Soleimani: Martyr of Iranian Revolution. globalresearch.ca For the first time in the history of Iran, a red flag was raised over the Holy Dome of Jamkaran Mosque in the holy city of Qom both symbolizing blood spilled unjustly and serving as a call to avenge a …

Stephen Lendman (2020-01-07). Impeach Trump for Acts of War on Iraq, Iran and Elsewhere. globalresearch.ca Trump's legal team reportedly prepared their strategy to challenge articles of impeachment by House Dems — yet to be sent to the GOP-controlled Senate for trial. | According to Law Professor Jonathan Turley, "(b)y rushing the impeachment and forcing a vote …

Staff (2020-01-07). Is This the End of U.S. Interference in West Asia? truthdig.com Major General Hossein Salami, the chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran, said on January 4 that his country would take "strategic revenge" against the United States for the assassination of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani. The assassination of Soleimani, Salami said, will be later seen as a "turning point" in U.S. interference in West Asia. | Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif reacted strongly to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's suggestion that Iraqis were "dancing in the street" to celebrate the assassination…

Joan Walsh (2020-01-07). If Americans Die in the Escalating Iran Crisis, Remember That Mike Pompeo Called It 'a Little Noise'. thenation.com If Americans Die in the Escalating Iran Crisis, Remember That Mike Pompeo Called It 'a Little Noise'

Dr. Paul Craig Roberts (2020-01-07). Putin Should Take Control of the Iranian Situation Out of Israel's Hands. globalresearch.ca At this time, it is up to Israel whether or not war occurs between the US and Iran. Israel very much wants this war as a means of putting Iran and Syria into chaos, thus leaving Hezbollah isolated and unsupplied….

Text: R.R. Photos: Sharat Lin (2020-01-07). San José Mounts Immediate Response to Call for Anti-War Action. indybay.org Get Up! Get down… | San José's an Anti-War Town! | Photos of No War on Iran rally of Jan 4, 2020.

Staff (2020-01-07). Headlines for January 7, 2020. democracynow.org John Bolton Willing to Testify in Senate Impeachment Trial, Confusion in Pentagon & Trump Administration over U.S. Policy on Iran, Julián Castro Endorses Elizabeth Warren, U.S. Can Now Deport Mexican Asylum Seekers to Guatemala, Wildfires Rage in Australia; India Suffered Hottest Decade on Record, Harvey Weinstein Charged with Rape in Los Angeles County, Mexico: 60,000 People Disappeared Since U.S.-Backed Drug War Began, Bolivia Sets May 3 Date for New Election, After Morales's Ouster, Confusion over Leader of National Assembly Reigns in Venezuela, Earthquake Knocks Out Power Across Puerto Rico, Men Sue Boy Scout…

Common Dreams staff (2020-01-07). 'The People of This Region Want US Out': More Than 40 Iranian Mourners Killed at Soleimani Funeral Procession. commondreams.org International tensions continue to build as mourning turns to tragedy in Iran where millions have marched to honor the slain military leader. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/soleimani_funeral_stampede.jpg

Staff (2020-01-07). Here Are Some Ways Your Congress Members Can Oppose Iran War. truthout.org In the wake of President Trump's decision to kill a powerful Iranian general and an Iraqi Shia militia leader in a drone strike on Friday, Congress has the power to stop what is arguably already a proxy war with Iran from devolving into all-out war. Indeed, lawmakers already have several options for reasserting their constitutional war powers and immediately taking action to prevent further violence, including measures to block war funding and repeal longstanding military authorizations. | Topping the list i…

Roxane Farmanfarmaian (2020-01-07). Trump's Assassination of Iran's Suleimani Was a Colossal Strategic Blunder. thenation.com Trump's Assassination of Iran's Suleimani Was a Colossal Strategic Blunder…

Sarah Anderson (2020-01-07). Major U.S. Military Contractors Stand to Reap Huge Windfalls from Escalation of Conflict with Iran. globalresearch.ca CEOs of major U.S. military contractors stand to reap huge windfalls from the escalation of conflict with Iran. This was evident in the immediate aftermath of the U.S. assassination of a top Iranian military official last week. As soon as …