The Iranian government has identified targets for retaliatory strikes after the country’s president Hasan Rouhani vowed to avenge the death of its Revolutionary Guards commander, Qasem Soleiman, who was killed in a United States airstrike ordered by President Donald Trump.
Iran could retaliate by hitting US regional allies inside Iraq and in the Middle East, administration officials said, noting the apparent concerns of unspecified Gulf partners.
But a source familiar with the latest intelligence told CNN that it showed vehicle-mounted rockets, known as Grad trucks, and other military weaponry were moving closer to US interests, particularly the Al Asad airbase in Iraq.
Other targets of concern included the US airbase in Qatar and US interests in Kuwait. The source noted those threats have existed for several months but that the intelligence indicated growing urgency because of how close the trucks were getting to US interests.
There are also indications that Iran has ramped up the readiness of its short and medium-range ballistic missile force inside Iran since the death of Soleimani but that does not mean a strike by Iran is imminent, the US official directly familiar with the information told CNN.
They added that the US is conducting intense surveillance by satellite and other means to determine how soon missiles — which are liquid-fueled — might be ready.
US military does not expect to conduct additional strikes as officials assess Iran's next step, US official says
US military does not expect to conduct additional strikes as officials assess Iran’s next step, US official says
Earlier Friday, National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien declined to provide specific details of the intelligence about the planned attacks but suggested releasing some of the intelligence was something that might be discussed in the future.
While the administration is secretly taking steps domestically and internationally to prepare for possible retaliation, beyond public moves like sending thousands of troops to the region, officials acknowledge that there is only so much they can do given the myriad of options at Iran’s disposal.
Department of Homeland Security officials are expected to brief lawmakers in the coming days on domestic threats from Iran and will be on heightened alert over the next several weeks and months in anticipation of Iranian retaliation.
At the same time, officials continue to face questions from some Democratic lawmakers who say they remain unconvinced that the order to kill Soleimani was necessary in order to prevent an imminent attack against US interests, as the administration has claimed.
One Democratic source who was briefed Friday told CNN that officials did offer evidence of a credible threat but that it was not dissimilar to what has been observed at various points over the last several months from the IRGC and the hardest line Popular Mobilization Units, a coalition of predominantly Shiite militias.
The latest threat was confirmed by General Gholamali Abuhamzeh, the commander of the Guards in the southern province of Kerman.
A retaliation attack from Iran could be seen ‘within weeks’ either at home or abroad, a senior congressional staffer told Time.
The staffer said:
There is no indication that there is going to be a de-escalation in the near future. The only question is how bad is the retaliation going to be and where and what is it going to hit.
Abuhamzeh’s comments that Iran has previously identified targets, seem to confirm the State Department’s reason behind the airstrike on Friday, which killed Iranian general, his deputy Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis alongside others.
The State Department said:
General Soleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region.
‘The United States will continue to take all necessary action to protect our people and our interests wherever they are around the world.’
In an interview with CNN Friday, Democratic Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico said more than once that he does not believe an attack on the United States was imminent as President Donald Trump and other top administration officials have said.
My staff was briefed by a number of people representing a variety of agencies in the United State Government and they came away with no feeling that there was evidence of an imminent attack.
Udall said, adding he believed the President is only saying an attack was imminent to justify killing Soleimani.
Udall also said had the US Secretary of Defense been killed by Iran while in another country, the US would consider that an act of war.
Fellow Democrat Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland also told CNN Friday that one of his representatives was at the briefing and
Nothing that came out of the briefing changed my view that this was an unnecessary escalation of the situation in Iraq and Iran.
Van Hollen went on to say:
While I can’t tell you what was said, I can tell you, I have no additional information to support the administration’s claim that this was an imminent attack on Americans.
Milley, the top US general, pushed back hard Friday against claims that there was any impulsiveness on the part of the US by targeting Soleimani.
“We fully comprehend the strategic risks and consequences,” of killing the Iranian military commander, he said.
The risk of inaction exceeded the risk of action.
The US has not provided any evidence publicly on what the specific threats were.
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