U.S. is preparing for war, but Iran’s weaknesses have been exaggerated

In the midst of a pandemic, the United States is preparing for war, but Iran’s weaknesses have been greatly exaggerated.

MilitaryEzyInfo.com | While the United States is preparing for a confrontation with Iranian militants in Iraq, Iran is struggling to cope with the effects of the coronavirus within its borders. While this may seem like a good time for Americans to strike, it is not.

U.S. is preparing for war, but Iran’s weaknesses have been greatly exaggerated

U.S. is preparing for war | The U.S. military is working on a strategic redeployment of troops inside Iraq, including the deployment of surface-to-air missiles, whose only logical purpose was to defend against the threat of Iranian ballistic missiles. This force move has heightened concerns that some in the Trump administration may seek to take advantage of Iran’s weakness caused by the ongoing Kobid 19 pandemic. However, the reality is very different, and Iran is ready to defend itself with all its defensive resources. U.S. action against Iran would be a miscalculation with devastating consequences.

Iran has been the epicenter of the Kobid 19 outbreak in the Middle East. As of April 1, Iran’s Ministry of Health has reported more than 47,000 confirmed cases and more than 3,000 deaths. To better coordinate the response to the outbreak, Iran’s Ministry of Health has announced the establishment of the National Coronavirus Task Force, which will send a 30,000-strong team led by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to help control the outbreak.

The severity of the Cobid-19 outbreak in Iran was interpreted by some politicians in the Trump administration as evidence of a successful campaign of “maximum pressure” based on severe economic sanctions. The same people, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien, have cited the widespread demonstrations in both Iran and Iraq as further evidence of the current level of dissatisfaction with Iran’s theocratic government.

The United States has long been embroiled in a shadow war with Iran, which controls the Iraqi government the most. The United States is particularly upset with the role played by Iranian-backed militias operating under the guise of Popular Militia Forces (PMF). One of these militias, Keitabh Hezbollah, came into the spotlight after a series of missile attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq killed and wounded several Americans. Leading hardline supporters of the Trump administration, led by Pompeo and O’Brien, are considering a major military operation aimed at destroying Kehtab Hezbollah. Given the inevitable Iranian response, some believe that Pompeo and O’Brien are planning a major military operation, including a major attack on Iran, that could lead to the ouster of the Iranian government.

The latest military action in the region indicates that the United States is preparing to take some major action in Iraq. Over the past few weeks, the U.S. has strengthened its forces in Iraq by withdrawing troops from several isolated bases and concentrating them in two larger complexes, one near al-Qaeda and the other at al-Assad air base. The United States has begun to deploy Patriot missile forces to both al-Qaeda and al-Assad, ostensibly to protect against missile attacks by Kehtab Hezbollah and Iran.

With the possibility of a massive response by Kehtab Hezbollah and Iran to a coordinated U.S. military strike against PMF forces in Iraq, Lieutenant General Robert White, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, said, “Such an attack would send thousands more U.S. troops into Iraq to help the Islamic State and Issued a strong warning of “the need to divert resources from training Iraqi forces to fight”. General White’s outspoken warning is actually an understatement. Trump’s hard-line supporters, such as Pompeo and O’Brien, exaggerated the vulnerability of the Iranian regime in its rush for regime change in Iran while minimizing the threat to U.S. forces in Iraq, especially in light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Iran’s retaliatory missile strike against Al-Assad Air Base in January confirmed the reality that Iran’s ballistic missile forces have a high-precision strike capability. The missile used in that attack was an older version of the missile. Iran is now deploying new, technologically advanced missiles, including steerable warheads designed to evade U.S. missile defenses. Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities are real and threats to use them in response to a U.S. attack are not a bluff.

The confrontation between the U.S. and Iraqi PMF leading to Iran will be a bloodbath for everyone involved. Iran has shown that it can walk and chew gum at the same time. That means it can deal with the outbreak of Kobid 19 and at the same time prepare for a broader war with the United States in Iraq. The same cannot be said about the Trump administration.

Let’s hope more sane heads prevail and that the White House heeds General White’s warning. The alternative will only lead to disaster.

Scott Ritter

U.S. is preparing for war | Scott Ritter is a former intelligence officer in the United States Marine Corps. He served as a DSCD treaty inspector in the Soviet Union, at General Schwarzkopf’s headquarters during the Gulf War, and as a weapons inspector for the United Nations from 1991 to 1998.