ISTANBUL
- Turkey
Iran is
hardening its stance in its confrontation with the United States, seeking
further revenge for the killing of one of its top commanders even as the
coronavirus threat in the sanctions-hit country developed into a crisis that
kills about 150 people every day and infects 50 each hour.
Iranian
President Hassan Rohani said Iran would continue to respond to the United
States’ assassination of Major-General Qassem Soleimani, an Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander killed in a US drone strike in Iraq
in January.
“The
Americans assassinated our great commander. We have responded to that terrorist
act and will respond to it,” Rohani said in a televised speech.
Soleimani,
leader of the IRGC’s al-Quds Force, was instrumental in implementing Iran’s
aggressive strategy in the Middle East through proxies in countries of the
region such as Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen. The 62-year-old general was regarded as
the second-most powerful figure in Iran after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei.
The
United States launched air strikes in Iraq targeting Iran-backed Shia militia
members believed responsible for the rocket attack that killed and wounded US
and British troops at a base north of Baghdad.
One US
official said strikes targeted Kata’ib Hezbollah weapons facilities in Iraq.
The strikes marked a rapid escalation in tensions with Tehran and its proxy
groups in Iraq, just two months after Iran carried out a massive ballistic
missile attack against US troops at a base in Iraq to revenge the killing of
Soleimani.
In a
speech marking Nowruz, the Persian New Year, Rohani highlighted what he viewed
as the achievements of the past year, including the missile strikes on US
troops in Iraq and the downing of a sophisticated US drone.
The
exchanges are signs of a war by proxy between Iran and the United States in the
Middle East. Tehran’s efforts to expand its regional influence alarm the United
States and its Gulf allies.
Rohani’s
belligerent statement indicated that Iran is determined to keep pouring
resources into foreign policy adventures at a time its health system is under
severe strain because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Iran’s
economy has been severely hit by sanctions introduced by US President Donald
Trump under a “maximum pressure” campaign after he took the United States out
of the nuclear agreement with Tehran two years ago.
The
United States imposed new sanctions in mid-March, blacklisting five companies
in the United Arab Emirates, three in mainland China, three in Hong Kong and
one in South Africa for trade in Iran’s petrochemicals.
Washington
argues that its campaign to curb Iran’s nuclear, missile and regional
activities does not stop the flow of humanitarian goods but Iran says the
sanctions must be lifted to allow the import of medical goods needed to fight
coronavirus. Brian Hook, the US special representative for Iranian affairs,
said Washington sent a diplomatic note to Tehran offering help with coronavirus
but was “quickly rejected.”
Iran is
battling the worst outbreak in the Middle East, with more than 1,400 people
dead and nearly 20,000 confirmed cases since the virus was first registered in
the country on February 19. Almost 150 people died from the coronavirus-induced
lung disease on March 19.
Iran’s
neighbours are concerned that the Islamic Republic could worsen the coronavirus
situation for the region. Approximately 90% of all cases in the Middle East can
be traced to Iran, news reports said.
The
United Arab Emirates, one of Iran’s foes in the Gulf region, announced it sent
medical supplies to the neighbouring country. Two aircraft, which left Abu
Dhabi on March 16, contained more than 32 tonnes of supplies, including boxes
filled with thousands of pairs of gloves, surgical masks and protective
equipment, the UAE Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
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