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A2 UP FRONT
Thursday 9 January 2020
Continued from Front Iran's Supreme Leader Aya- killing that it would no lon-
Even so, Trump's takeaway tollah Ali Khamenei said ger comply with any of the
was that "Iran appears to the overnight strike was not limits on uranium enrich-
be standing down, which necessarily the totality of ment in the 2015 nuclear
is a good thing for all par- Iran's response. deal crafted to keep it from
ties concerned and a very "Last night they received building a nuclear device.
good thing for the world." a slap," Khamenei said. The president, who had
Despite such conciliatory "These military actions are earlier pulled the U.S. out
talk, the region remained not sufficient (for revenge). of the deal, seized on the
on edge, and American What is important is that the moment of calm to call for
troops including a quick- corrupt presence of Ameri- negotiations toward a new
reaction force dispatched ca in this region comes to agreement that would do
over the weekend, were an end." more to limit Iran's ballistic
on high alert. Last week Trump, facing perhaps the missile programs and con-
Iranian-backed militia be- biggest test of his presiden- strain regional proxy cam-
sieged the U.S. Embassy cy, credited the minimized Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., a member of the Senate Armed Services paigns like those led by So-
in Baghdad, and Tehran's damage to an early warn- Committee and the Foreign Relations Committee, joined at right leimani.
proxies in the region remain ing system "that worked by Sen.Tom Carper, D-Del., responds to reporters following a Trump also announced he
able to carry out attacks very well" and said Ameri- briefing by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Defense Secretary would ask NATO to become
such as the one on Dec. 27 cans should be "extremely Mark Esper, and other national security officials on the details "much more involved in the
that killed a U.S. contractor grateful and happy" with of the threat that prompted the U.S. to kill Iranian Gen. Qassem Middle East process." While
Soleimani in Iraq, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020 on Capitol Hill in
and set off the most recent the outcome. Washington. he has frequently criticized
round of hostilities. The strikes had pushed Associated Press NATO as obsolete and has
Hours after Trump spoke, Tehran and Washington encouraged participants
an 'incoming' siren went off perilously close to all-out northern Iraqi city in Irbil On Wednesday, he said the to increase their military
in Baghdad's Green Zone conflict and left the world and the other at Ain al- United States was "ready to spending, Trump has tried
after what seemed to be waiting to see whether the Asad in western Iraq — ap- embrace peace with all to push the military alliance
small rockets "impacted" American president would peared to signal that it, too, who seek it." That marked a to refocus its efforts on
the diplomatic area, a respond with more military was uninterested in a wider sharp change in tone from modern threats.
Western official said. There force. Trump, in his nine- clash with the U.S. Foreign his warning a day earlier Like the U.S. troops in the
were no reports of casual- minute, televised address, Minister Mohammad Ja- that "if Iran does anything region, NATO forces have
ties spoke of a robust U.S. mili- vad Zarif tweeted that the that they shouldn't be do- temporarily halted their
There is no obvious path to tary with missiles that are country had "concluded ing, they're going to be suf- training of Iraqi forces and
diplomatic engagement, "big, powerful, accurate, proportionate measures in fering the consequences, their work to combat the Is-
as Trump pledged to add lethal and fast." But then he self-defense." and very strongly." lamic State.
to his "maximum pressure" added: "We do not want Trump, who is facing re- Members of Congress were Soleimani's death last week
campaign of economic to use it." Iran for days had election in November, briefed on the Iran situa- in an American drone strike
sanctions. He said the new, been promising to respond campaigned for president tion Wednesday afternoon in Baghdad prompted an-
u nspecified sanctions forcefully to Soleimani's kill- on a promise to extract the in closed-door sessions on gry calls for vengeance
would remain in place "until ing, but its limited strike on United States from "endless Capitol Hill, where Demo- and drew massive crowds
Iran changes its behavior." two bases — one in the wars." crats and some Republi- of Iranians to the streets to
cans expressed dissatisfac- mourn him. Khamenei him-
tion with the administra- self wept at the funeral in
tion's justifications for the a sign of his bond with the
drone strike on Soleimani. commander.
Republican Sen. Mike Lee The Iranians fired a total
of Utah said it was "prob- of 15 missiles in the latest
ably the worst briefing I've strikes, U.S. officials said.
seen, at least on a military Ten hit the Ain al-Asad air
issue, in the nine years I've base in Iraq's western An-
served in the United States bar province and one tar-
Senate." He said it was "dis- geted a base in Irbil in Iraq's
tressing" that officials sug- semi-autonomous Kurdish
gested it would only em- region. Four failed, said the
bolden Iran if lawmakers officials, who spoke only
debated the merits of fur- on condition of anonymity
ther military action. He and because they were not au-
Sen. Rand Paul announced thorized to speak publicly
their support of a largely about a military operation.
symbolic war powers reso- Gen. Mark Milley, chairman
lution to limit Trump's mili- of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
tary action regarding Iran. told reporters Wednesday
Democratic Speaker Nan- that the Pentagon believes
cy Pelosi announced after that Iran fired the missiles
the briefing that the House with the intent "to kill per-
would vote Thursday on a sonnel." He praised early
war powers resolution of its warning systems, which de-
own. tected the incoming ballis-
Trump opened his remarks tic missiles well in advance,
at the White House by re- providing U.S. and coalition
iterating his promise that forces adequate time to
"Iran will never be allowed take shelter at both bases.
to have a nuclear weap- Officials also said that the
on." Iran had announced U.S. was aware of prepara-
in the wake of Soleimani's tions for the attack.q