“All its bases are within our reach, we have access to them, and without hesitation we will target all of them in the host countries,” said Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh on Wednesday, vowing that the US would “suffer more losses.”
How other countries in the Middle East are involved
A political analyst in Iran, who did not wish to be named due to sensitivities, noted that domestic discussion has focussed on potential strikes against US bases in Iraqi Kurdistan, following reports that the region was used by Israel for intelligence gathering purposes.
Iran’s response may be constrained by the damage inflicted by Israeli strikes on its feared ballistic missile programme, with footage from strikes appearing to show key facilities targeted.
But the leader of an Iraqi militia aligned with Iran, Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, warned ahead of the Israeli attacks that a conflict would trigger attacks on US assets in the country.
“Neither it nor its collaborators will remain in the Middle East.”
Armoured vehicles of the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Forces are deployed outside the US embassy building in Baghdad’s Green Zone on 12 June after an announcement by a US official the previous day that staff levels at the diplomatic mission in Iraq were being reduced over security concerns (Photo: Ahmad al-Rubaye/Getty)
Ken Katzman, a former CIA analyst focussed on the Middle East, said the Iraqi government has worked to “constrain” militia groups, which has limited their threat.
Iran has also threatened America’s Gulf allies – despite a recent rapprochement with Saudi Arabia – which could provide leverage given Trump’s close alliance with Gulf leaders after a recent tour of the region. Tehran has previously carried out drone strikes on Saudi oil installations.
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Michael Mulroy, a former US defence official who served under Donald Trump during his first term, said the US would initially seek to limit its role to “intelligence support” and supplementing Israel’s air defences against Iranian retaliation.
“One of the most concerning responses Iran could do would be to mine the strait of Hormuz,” Mulroy added, referring to a vital oil shipping route. “It would be almost impossible to stop them and very difficult to clear.”
The GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (Photo: US Air Force)
An Israeli official called for “involvement of other democratic nations” in the conflict which they told The i Paper has the twin goals of “eliminating the Iranian nuclear threat” and “eliminating Iran’s supply of terror rockets.”
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Read MoreIf an Iranian strike caused significant damage or casualties in Israel, the US would be under pressure to become more involved, they added.
“If the Iranians will do the mistake of attacking civilian or infrastructure facilities in Israel, then Israel will attack all of the oil facilities and some other national infrastructures in Iran, and it will be a disaster for the Iranians,” he said.
“And if the Iranians will do the second mistake and attack American assets or American bases or American military compounds in the broader Middle East, then they will find the Americans on the Iranian soil together with the Israelis. And we are in the beginning of the end of the Iranian regime.”
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