Iran's allies on high alert in Trump's final weeks in office

Iran has instructed allies across Middle East to be on high alert and avoid provoking tensions with US that could give an outgoing Trump ministration cause to launch attacks in US president's final weeks in office, Iraqi officials have said. request, delivered by a senior Iranian general to allies in Baghd this week reflects growing regional anxiety over President Donald Trump's unpredictable behaviour and uncertainty in chaotic transition period until President-elect Joe Biden takes over in two months.

Iran's allies have collectively welcomed Trump's election defeat. Under his presidency, tensions with Iran escalated, reaching fever pitch at beginning of year with US airstrike that killed Iran's top general, Qassim Soleimani, at Baghd airport. Iran launched a ballistic missile attack in response to fatal drone strike, targeting US soldiers in Iraq and wounding dozens.

Trump also unilaterally withdrew America in 2018 from Iran's nuclear deal with world powers, meant to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons, and re-imposed punishing sanctions on Iran, crippling its ecomy. Iran has since abandoned all limits on its uranium enrichment program, even as deal's or international partners have tried unsuccessfully to salv it. incoming Biden ministration has stated plans to rejoin or renegotiate 2015 nuclear accord.

But re is growing concern over what Trump, who is refusing to concede election, might do in last days of his presidency, including a potential strike on America's enemies abro. On Thursday, an viser to Iran's supreme leer warned in an interview with Associated Press that any American attack on Iran could set off a “full-fledged war” in region.

“We don't welcome war. We are t after starting a war," said Hossein Dehghan, who served in Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard before becoming a defence minister under President Hassan Rouhani.

concern does t appear to be rooted in anything concrete — Trump has, in fact, ordered a drawdown in US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan to be completed by mid-January — but rar in general nervousness about unpredictability of Trump's actions. His firing of Defence Secretary Mark Esper two days after election triggered a flurry of speculation about wher it was related to a broer plan to strike abro.

Iraq, where US-Iran rivalry has chiefly played out, is seen as a potential arena. Frequent attacks against US Embassy in Baghd in recent months led a frustrated Trump ministration to threaten to close mission, a move that sparked a diplomatic crisis and diplomatic back-channel messaging that led to an informal truce a few weeks ahe of US election.

With two months to go until a Biden ministration takes over, Iranian Gen. Esmail Ghaani, he of Guard's expeditionary Quds Force, delivered Tehran's request during a meeting with Iranian-backed Iraqi militia factions and Shiite politicians in Baghd this week, according to two senior Iraqi Shiite politicians who attended meetings in Baghd.

mess: Stand down to avoid giving Trump opportunity to initiate a fresh tit-for-tat round of violence. And to Iraqi Shiite paramilitaries: Be calm and cease attacks for w against American presence in Iraq. However, if re was a US aggression by Trump ministration, Iran's response would “be in line with of strike,” one of Iraqi politicians cited Ghaani as saying.

An Iraqi government official also confirmed Ghaani's meetings with Iranian-backed factions in Iraq this week. All Iraqi officials spoke on condition of anymity to discuss private meetings. Meanwhile, in Leban, leer of Iran-backed militant Hezbollah group, Hasan Nasrallah, warned followers and allies to be vigilant during Trump's remaining weeks in office.

“All of us ... should be on high alert in se next two months so that it passes peacefully,” Nasrallah said in televised remarks earlier this month even as he urged followers to “be prepared to face any danger, aggression or harm” and to respond in kind “if US or Israel's follies go that far.”

But only hours after Ghaani delivered Iran's mess in Baghd and while he was still in Iraq, a barr of Katyusha rockets were fired at Iraqi capital's heavily fortified Green Zone, landing a few hundred meters (yards) from US Embassy. A few of rockets that landed just outside Green Zone killed a child and wounded five civilians. attack, contrary to instructions to avoid escalation could indicate potential disagreement within militia ranks, or a deliberate plan by factions to offer mixed messs and keep ir intentions ambiguous.

A little-kwn militia group, Ashab al-Kahf, believed to have links with powerful Kataib Hezbollah, claimed responsibility for rocket attack. For its part, Kataib Hezbollah denied it h carried out barr, and claimed truce initiated in October was still in place. That claim was countered by Qais al-Khazali, he of powerful Iran-aligned Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia group, who said in a televised interview on Thursday that truce h ended. 

(Im Credits: AP)