UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called for
an "immediate global ceasefire" to focus on fighting Covid-19. He has
appealed for the "waiving of sanctions that can undermine countries' capacity
to respond to the pandemic." But Washington is not listening. Requests
from Venezuela and Iran for emergency IMF loans to buy medical supplies were
blocked by U.S. interventions.
The Trump administration is reacting to the pandemic stress
by lashing out at perceived internal and external enemies. Secretary of State
Mike Pompeo is leading the external onslaught.
Just a month ago Pompeo announced an increase of
sanctions against Iran. The sanctions block money transfers. They make it
impossible for Iran to import the medical equipment it urgently needs to
counter the epidemic.
While the US renewed the sanction waiver which allows Iraq
to import electricity and gas from Iran, the waiver is now limited to only
30 days. One third of Iraq's electricity depends on those imports from Iran
and, if the waiver is not renewed, its hospitals will go dark just when the
epidemic will reach its zenith.
Parts of the Trump administration are even pressing for
a wider war against alleged Iranian proxy forces in Iraq.
The Pentagon has ordered military commanders to plan for an
escalation of American combat in Iraq, issuing a directive last week to prepare
a campaign to destroy an Iranian-backed militia group that has threatened more
attacks against American troops.
But the United States’ top commander in Iraq has warned that
such a campaign could be bloody and counterproductive and risks war with Iran.
Some top officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Robert C. O’Brien, the national security adviser, have been pushing for aggressive new action against Iran and its proxy forces — and see an opportunity to try to destroy Iranian-backed militia groups in Iraq as leaders in Iran are distracted by the pandemic crisis in their country.
Some top officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Robert C. O’Brien, the national security adviser, have been pushing for aggressive new action against Iran and its proxy forces — and see an opportunity to try to destroy Iranian-backed militia groups in Iraq as leaders in Iran are distracted by the pandemic crisis in their country.
Military leaders, including Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper
and Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have been
wary of a sharp military escalation, warning it could further destabilize the
Middle East at a time when President Trump has said he hopes to reduce the
number of American troops in the region.
The plan is lunatic. One can’t "destroy" Kataib
Hezbollah and other Iraqi Shia groups which Iran helped to build during the war
against ISIS. These groups are part of political parties with deep roots in the
Iraqi society.
France, Italy and the Czech Republic have started to
withdraw from Iraq. Denmark is also leaving and the UK is removing 50% of its
force.
There are less then 5,000 US soldiers in Iraq and a war on
Kataib Hezbollah could mobilized hundreds of thousands Iraqis to fight against the
US occupation. Such a war would also involve Iran and the US would certainly
lose it.
The US has currently two aircraft carrier groups in
the Arab sea to threaten Iran. But those ships are of no use right now. They
are 'cruise ships with guns'. Nuclear powered five billion dollar Petri Dishes
for novel coronavirus outbreaks.
Two US carrier groups in the Pacific are already out of
action because they have larger outbreaks on board. It is only a question
of time until the other carriers follow.
It is not only Iraq and Iran the US is aiming at. The US
State Department cut its contributions to health care in Yemen just
in time of the highest need:
Officials with the United States Agency for International
Development said the decision to halt funding, reported earlier by The
Washington Post, included exceptions for “critical, lifesaving activities,
including treatment of malnutrition as well as water, sanitation and hygiene
programs aimed at keeping people healthy and staving off disease.”
But humanitarian officials said the agency’s exceptions did
not provide for continued funding of basic health care programs, which are
heavily reliant on foreign aid, and did not seem to take into account what
might occur when the coronavirus begins to spread.
