The U.S. denied a visa to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who was attempting to gain entry the U.S. to address the Security Council at a meeting scheduled for January 9.
A report in The Hill opined, “Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has limited access to the U.S. by Iranian officials, including Zarif, to prevent their ability to bring their message to the U.S. public.”|
The move was just one of the developments in the wake of the recent U.S. hit that killed arch terrorist General Qasem Soleimani, head of the Quds force of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). Other developments include:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced, “The House will introduce and vote on a War Powers Resolution to limit the president’s military actions regarding Iran.” Despite intelligence that Soleimani was planning imminent attacks on Americas abroad (and had been involved in thousands of U.S. deaths previously), Democrats appeared appalled by the hit on Soleimani, denouncing the assassination as illegal, reckless and unnecessarily risking war with Iran.
Iranian state media released pictures of Soleimani cozying up to Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy. Here’s one of the media’s favorites:
The Pentagon is sending six B-52 bombers to Diego Garcia, a British-controlled island in the Indian Ocean, for possible operations against Iran. According to an unnamed source in the Pentagon, CNN reported that the islands are out of Iranian missile range.
The Iranian-backed Iraqi Shiite militia Kataib Hezbollah threatened to cut the flow of oil to the U.S. if Trump imposed sanctions on Iraq. After the Iraqi parliament voted to kick the U.S. out of Iraq, Trump said if Iraqi asks the U.S. to leave, “We will charge them sanctions like they’ve never seen before ever. It’ll make Iranian sanctions look somewhat tame.” Trump noted that one air base the U.S. built in Iraq cost the U.S. “billions” to build.
Abu Ali al-Askari, the security leader of Kataib Hezbollah, tweeted (see below) “If Trump the fool imposes economic sanctions on Iraq then we will work with our friends (Iran) to stop the flow of Gulf oil to America.”
“Regarding the air base it will be brought to the ground if they (US troops) insist to stay in Iraq,” al-Askari said.
اذا فرض الاحمق ترامب عقوبات اقتصادية على العراق فسنعمل مع الاصدقاء لمنع تدفق النفط الخليجي لأمريكا، اما القاعدة الجوية فستحال الى ركام اذا أصر على البقاء في العراق، ومستعدون لمساعدة الحكومة العراقية في تأمين عمل الشركات الصينية.
— ابو علي العسكري (@abualiaalaskry) January 6, 2020
The Iranian parliament voted to approve $224 million in extra funding for the Quds Force of the IRGC, formerly under the command of Soleimani. The parliament also designated the Pentagon military commanders and those acting on its behalf in Soleimani’s killing as “terrorists” subject to Iranian sanctions.
In light of the assassination of Soleimani, Russia sent a missile ship to Syria. The ship was forced to cast anchor in Istanbul’s Bosphorus Strait due to bad weather.
Forty people were killed and 213 injured in a stampede during the funeral procession of Soleimani in Kerman, Soleiman’s home town. Iranian opposition sites reported that people — including students, shopkeepers and public servants — were forced to attend the funeral procession.
1-Watch this video of #Soleimani‘s funeral procession in Ahvaz.
How many people were really here? Some claims millions! Is it really true?
Considering the fact that students, public servants, and shopkeepers were forced to attend.
Enlightening research by @sharagim_zand pic.twitter.com/46pF0dg7D2
— Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) January 6, 2020
School children were also forced to mourn Soleimani.
🔴The world should look at the terrorists:
In a school in Iran, security forces forced the children to take pictures of Qasem Suleimani in their hands and take pictures. Isn’t this child abuse?#IraniansDetestSoleimani pic.twitter.com/lT35ouAw2P
— محمد مظفری (@mohmd_mozafari) January 6, 2020
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