Making Sense of Iran's Missile Attack
Screenshot: FARS
Early Wednesday morning, Iran fired more than 15 missiles at two Iraqi military bases in the region that housed American troops. The act was in retaliation to the killing of Gen. Qassim Soleimani, commander of Iran’s Quds Force, last Thursday.
In a statement published on Wednesday, the Department of Defense confirmed that the missiles were launched from Iran, stating,
“At approximately 5:30 p.m. (EST) on January 7, Iran launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles against U.S. military and coalition forces in Iraq. It is clear that these missiles were launched from Iran and targeted at least two Iraqi military bases hosting U.S. military and coalition personnel at Al-Assad and Irbil.”
Following the attack, initial reports from Iranian state media stated that 30 U.S. soldiers had been killed in the first wave of attacks, an unverified claim that was run by MSNBC’s Ali Arouzi.
WATCH:
Since then, it has been reported by various news outlets that there have been no American or Iraqi casualties.
On Twitter, the president remarked that “All is well! Missiles launched from Iran at two military bases located in Iraq. Assessment of casualties & damages taking place now. So far, so good!”
Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif went on to state, after the attacks, that “Iran took & concluded proportionate measures in self-defense,” and that, “We do not seek escalation or war, but will defend ourselves against any aggression.”
WHY DOES THIS MATTER?
The missile attack by Iran was most certainly an act of retaliation to save-face. Iran has the capability of striking American military bases in the region (Bahrain, Kuwait, Syria, etc.) in order to cause significant casualties, yet opted for smaller Iraqi bases.
Nick Walsh of CNN explained that Iran’s strike on Wednesday was intended to avoid U.S. deaths, stating,
“Iran will have known that the troops are normally asleep in the early hours of the morning. Choosing to attack then likely minimized the number of personnel roaming around the base who could be killed or injured.
It will also have known the US has a strong air defense system that would have been on high alert. Tehran should have a grasp of how well its missiles would fare against such technology.
The missile attacks don't make sense if Tehran's goal was to really hurt US troops in large numbers -- as some had been pledging to do.”
Currently, Iran lacks the finances, allies, and military power to confront the U.S. in any serious way.
With zero casualties and word from Iran’s foreign minister that there will not be an escalation of war, Trump is able to walk away from this ordeal with a major victory; the removal of Gen. Soleimani without the threat of war.