President Donald Trump on Wednesday responded to Iran‘s rocket attack on the US Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq with some unsolicited guidance.
Our embassy in Baghdad got hit Sunday by several rockets. Three rockets failed to launch. Guess where they were from: IRAN. Now we hear chatter of additional attacks against Americans in Iraq… pic.twitter.com/0OCL6IFp5M
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 23, 2020
…Some friendly health advice to Iran: If one American is killed, I will hold Iran responsible. Think it over.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 23, 2020
The missile attack did not injure or kill any Americans.
Several Iraqi civilians sustained injuries, but no deaths have been reported.
Trump’s tweet shows Katyusha rockets, a favorite of local military groups. These rockets have been used in attacks on military bases across Iraq, the Epoch Times reported.
High-ranking officials in the administration and in the military dispute whether Iran bears responsibility for the missile barrage.
“I do not know the degree to which Iran is complicit,” Gen. Frank McKenzie said on Tuesday according to the Wall Street Journal. “We do not seek a war, and I don’t actually believe they seek one either.”
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said militias supported by Iran perpetrated the attack.
“The same militias targeting diplomatic facilities are stealing Iraqi state resources on a massive scale, attacking peaceful protesters and activists, and engaging in sectarian violence,” he said.
Kataib Hezbollah, a powerful Iran-sponsored militia, denied responsibility.
“The bombing of the embassy of evil at this time is an uncontrolled act, and the relevant authorities should follow up and arrest the perpetrators,” Hezbollah said in a statement, VOA News reported. “We condemn the indiscriminate shelling of the military barracks of the American Embassy because it is a real threat to civilian lives.”
The missiles landed in Baghdad’s Green Zone, a diplomatic area where Americans and Iraqis work.
