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As news spreads that a rocket has been fired into Baghdad’s “Green Zone” amid escalated tensions between the United States and Iran, both President Donald Trump and Iranian officials have ratcheted up their threats days after underscoring their desire to avoid war with each other.
Capt. Bill Urban, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, told Reuters it was aware of an explosion in the Green Zone outside the U.S. Embassy compound, and that there were no U.S. or coalition casualties. The embassy in Baghdad and the U.S. consulate in the Iraqi Kurdish regional capital Irbil evacuated non-emergency stafflast week, out of apparent concern about perceived threats from Iran.
The New York Times reported the evacuation followed a Trump administration announcement that new intelligence indicated a heightened risk that Iranian forces or proxies were considering an imminent attack on American forces or interests in the Persian Gulf or Iraq. Tehran has described the U.S. moves as “psychological warfare” and a “political game.”
Trump tweeted this after the explosion:
If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran. Never threaten the United States again!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 19, 2019
The Trump administration tightened economic sanctions against Iran and built up the U.S. military presence in the region following its withdrawal from a 2015 nuclear deal.
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