Iran Press/ Commentary: The rocket fell not far from the US embassy. Alert sirens sounded briefly in Baghdad after the explosion. The cause of the explosions is not yet known, and no group has yet claimed responsibility. But what is certain is that there are those in the West Asia region who want to blame Iran for the rocket attack, hoping to nudge the US towards military action against Iran.
The US State Department reacted to the incident by issuing a statement: "A low-grade rocket did land within the International Zone near the US Embassy and the JOC (Joint Operation Center). There were no casualties or significant damage; no US-inhabited facility was impacted,"
Both Washington and Tehran say they do not seek a military confrontation, but many worry any miscalculation at this fraught moment could spiral out of control.
Just a few days ago in an interview which was aired by Fox News Network on Sunday night, Donald Trump had said: "If I wanted to enter into a war with Iran, it would be an economic war."
Trump has also tweeted on several occasions that he does not want a war with Iran. Such tweets have prompted regional warmongers and anti-Iran regimes to redouble their efforts to drag the United States into a war with Tehran.
Prior to the suspicious Baghdad Green Zone incident, officials in the United Arab Emirates have alleged four oil tankers sustained damage in a sabotage attack but produced no video footage or photographs to prove that the oil tankers were actually attacked. The UAE and Saudi Arabia have tried to pin the blame for the alleged sabotage of oil tankers on Iran. Certainly, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh would love to pin the blame for the Baghdad Green Zone Katyusha rocket attack also on Tehran.
Ever since Donald Trump’s decision a year ago to pull the US out of Tehran’s nuclear deal (JCPOA), the Israeli regime and various regional Arab regimes have done their best to nudge Trump and his team into a military confrontation with Tehran. Even though both Washington and Tehran say they do not seek war, the warmongers of West Asia are still trying to fuel conflict.
Comments by a senior adviser to the crown prince of UAE must also be seen in such light. The senior adviser to the crown prince of UAE said recently: "America's credibility and the Trump Administration's credibility is at stake. If the Trump administration fails to act it will lose credibility. I am referring to a promise by the National Security Adviser John Bolton who had said any type of attack by Iran on US interests, or on US allies, will be met with a swift US military response."
The US president has also on several occasions claimed that Iranian officials will contact him to negotiate a new nuclear agreement, something which Tehran has roundly dismissed as totally unrealistic, arguing that the US is not trustworthy, America does not honor agreements it signs, it does not respect international laws, and there is no point in entering into another agreement with the United States.
On Monday afternoon Donald Trump seemed less certain that Iranians would negotiate with him. He criticized reports that the US was trying to set up talks with Iran and tweeted: “Iran will call us if and when they are ever ready." 104
Written by: Seyyed Razi Emadi
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Rocket hits Baghdad's green zone
