January 04, 2020
Chris Faure for The Saker Blog
This previous sitrep is still valid as to the actions of Mr Trump and Mr Pomeo
Mr Pompeo’s twitter continues to contain just one statement after the other of calls that he is making around the world stressing that the US is committed to de-escalation and that this was defensive action.  It is quite a masterful performance of bluster containing nothing.
Mr Trump added a line to his ‘shtick’ saying that he did this to stop a war, not to start a war.  This is on the face of it idiotic, as Americans have been warned to leave Iraq as well as anything between 3,000 and 6,000 (conflicting reports) are being sent to the ME, so wanting to ‘stop a war’ is clearly not working out for him.
– Twitter Hashtags #WorldWar3 and #WWIII are trending
– Iran considers the assassination of Qassem Soleimani to be an act of war as well as blatant violation of Iraq’s sovereignty.
– We are waiting for Iraq as according to reports, they would be voting as we speak whether to ask the US to leave Iraq or not.  Information still outstanding.
– A senior Iran analyst for the International Crisis Group (ICG) Ali Vaez stated: “Iran is a very powerful country. It has a network of proxies and partners around the region. It can go after US and US allies’ foreign interests all the way from Yemen to Saudi Arabia, to the UAE, to Iraq, to Lebanon, to Syria and Afghanistan.”  He also stated to Euronews that an all-out war between the US and Iran would make the conflict in Afghanistan and Iraq look like a walk in the park and that in this event, the US would likely be alone if it were to go to war with Iran.
– Syria condemned the “treacherous American criminal aggression” that will only strengthen the resolve to continue down the path set “by the martyred leaders of the resistance against American interference in the affairs of the countries of the region.”
– Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Trump “deserves all the credit for acting swiftly, forcefully and decisively.”
– Russia’s Foreign Ministry has condemned the killing and said it will increase tensions throughout the Middle East.
– China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said that they are highly concerned and calls for all sides, especially the United States, to exercise “calm and restraint.”  This did not stop the impish Editor-in-chief of Chinese and English editions of the Global Times, Hu Xijin to state the following:
“The US humiliating Iran this way sent such a message to North Korea: If it were not for your nuclear weapons, we would be more brutal on you. Now North Koreans are probably thinking: We can lose anything, but not nuclear weapons.”
and
“US’ Middle East policy has largely failed. It paid costly price of life and money in Iraq and Afghanistan. But a pro-Iran regime has emerged in Iraq, Taliban has recaptured influence in Afghanistan. Eliminating Qassem Soleimani won’t solve US’ dilemma in the Middle East.”
– France – Macron wants to avoid a new dangerous escalation and called for restraint.
– Britain – Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab stated that the UK has “always recognised the aggressive threat posed by the Iranian Quds force led by Qasem Soleimani” but the statement did not endorse or condemn the actions of the U.S. though he stated: “further conflict is in none of our interests.”
– Germany – calls for diplomacy and states that the situation has reached a “a dangerous escalation point”.
What seems to be filtering through from these reactions, is that the US will indeed be alone if it chooses to take any further action but it is early days and it is still the time to watch and analyze.
Please add any further reactions from your own countries in the comments.