As tensions with Iran escalate during the final days of Donald Trump’s presidency, thousands of Iraqis gathered in central Baghdad on Sunday to celebrate the anniversary of the assassination of a top Iranian general.
Some took revenge on anti-American slogans for the death of Genl. Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi military commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis who were killed on January 3, 2020 by a US drone.
Roads leading to Tahrir Square were closed and security was tight as crowds gathered in response to a powerful Iraqi militia call for a rally against the targeted assassination near Baghdad airport and an appeal on the withdrawal of American troops.
A mock funeral procession attended by thousands of people was also held along the road to the airport on Saturday.
Posters of the General and al-Muhandis adorn both sides of the road leading to the airport and the scene of the bombing was turned into a sanctuary-like area enclosed by red ropes. A photo of Soleimani and al-Muhandis was placed in the center while mourners lit candles.
Scratch marks were still visible on the asphalt and walls in the area.
The protests come less than 24 hours after Iran said it planned to enrich uranium to 20 percent at its underground Fordo nuclear facility “as soon as possible,” pushing the program a technical step away from the arms deal.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement that Tehran had informed its inspectors of the decision, adding that it “has inspectors present in Iran 24/7 and that they have regular access to Fordo.”
It added that Iran did not say when it intended to promote enrichment.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also indicated on Twitter on Saturday that intelligence from Iraq indicated that “Israeli agent provocateurs” were planning attacks on Americans.
That would “bind Trump” with a false casus belli, “he wrote.
‘Be careful of a trap, @realDonaldTrump. Any fireworks will fall back badly, especially against the same BFFs, ‘Zarif added in a veiled threat against Israel.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli Foreign Ministry declined to comment on Zarif’s remarks, but on Sunday the country’s energy minister, Yuval Steinitz, dismissed the claim as “nonsense”. Reuters reported.
Instead, Steinitz told the public radio channel that it should be Israel that should be aware of possible Iranian strikes.
Zarif’s comments come after a US official told NBC News on Friday that there were growing indications that Iran was planning an attack on US forces or interests in the Middle East.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, acknowledged that reading Iran’s intentions was ‘difficult and sometimes unpredictable’, but the indications are being taken seriously before Soleimani’s death anniversary.
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Last week, U.S. B-52 bombers based in the Middle East flew in a ‘deliberate appearance’, the U.S. central commander said in the second type of protest this month.
The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz has also been ordered to return to its US home after a ten-month deployment to the Middle East and the Horn of Africa, the Pentagon said.
The U.S. also recently accused a Iranian-backed military militia of a December 20 rocket attack on Baghdad’s international zone, in which 21 rockets were fired. No one was injured or killed.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
