Shafaq News also quoted a security official confirming the news and reporting that the US coalition base in Ain al-Asad was targeted by four Katyusha rockets.

Al-Jazeera quoted Iraqi security sources as saying that 10 rockets hit the ground near the US coalition base.

The official Iraq News Agency also confirmed the news and wrote that ‌Ain al-Asad base was targeted with 10 rockets.

Saberin News reported that US forces had closed their military unit at the Ain al-Asad base and withdrawn their troops from the watchtower.

The post US Ain al-Asad base targeted with Katyusha rockets: report appeared first on Iran News Daily.

According To Iran News, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reminded Washington that American forces “have no business 7,000 miles away from home” and are provoking Iranian sailors in the Persian Gulf.

“The US military is hit by over 5000 #covid19 infections. @realdonaldtrump should attend to their needs, not engage in threats cheered on by Saddam’s terrorists,” Zarif said in a tweet on Thursday.

“Also, US forces have no business 7,000 miles away from home, provoking our sailors off our OWN Persian Gulf shores,” he added.

The remarks came after US President Donald Trump said he had instructed the US navy to destroy Iranian boats “if they harass” US ships in the Persian Gulf.

“I have instructed the United States Navy to shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea,” Trump said in a tweet on Wednesday morning.

On Sunday, the IRGC Navy released a video showing a recent confrontation between its forces and the US navy in the Persian Gulf, refuting claims by Washington that Iranian forces behaved in a dangerous manner when faced with US navy vessels.

The post US Forces Have No Business in PG 7,000 Miles Away from Home appeared first on Iran News Daily.

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iran President Hassan Rouhani called for constant efforts by regional nations to drive the American military forces out of the region.

The post Iran call for region to drive US forces out appeared first on Iran News Daily.

According To Iran News, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called for constant efforts by regional nations to drive the American military forces out of the region.

In a Tuesday meeting with Syria’s Prime Minister Imad Khamis in Tehran, Rouhani thanked the Syrian government and nation for their sympathy over the US assassination of top Iranian commander Lt. General Qassem Soleimani and the loss of Iranian passengers in a recent crash of a Ukrainian jetliner near Tehran.

Rouhani said the late Iranian commander was assassinated in a US terrorist attack because he was a supporter of oppressed people across the region and thwarted plots hatched by the US and other enemies.

“We will never forget such a grave US crime and believe that regional nations should not relax until ending the military presence of the US in the region and evicting those invaders,” he underlined.

“Today, the Americans’ interference in the affairs of other countries and their attempts to seize Syria’s oil wells have clearly revealed that they’ve never cared about the interests of regional nations,” he deplored.

Rouhani also reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to supporting the Syrian government and people, saying that cooperation between Tehran and Damascus should continue until achieving the final victory, eradicating terrorism, evicting the foreign occupiers from Syria, and helping the Syrian refugees return to their homeland.

Imad Khamis, for his part, offered condolences over the martyrdom of Lt. General Soleimani, and described the loss of the Iranian commander as a major disaster for all freedom-seeking nations in the world.

The Syrian premier also said that Iran’s retaliatory missile attack on a US military base in Iraq has sent a clear message to regional and world governments. “It showed the enemies that the arrogance has no place in this region anymore.”

Highlighting the continued efforts to eradicate terrorism in the region, Khamis added, “The presence of Americans in Syria is a blatant example of occupation, and we believe that all nations and governments must stand against their (US’) illegitimate presence in the region.”

He further offered condolences to Iran over the deaths of people in the Ukrainian plane crash, saying Iran’s admission of responsibility for the accident indicates the Iranian officials’ honesty and prudence.

The Syrian nation is grateful to the “Iranian brothers” for all their support and help, Khamis went on to say, calling for efforts to expand the trade ties and broaden cooperation between Damascus and Tehran in various fields.

The post Iran Urges Regional Push for Expulsion of US Forces appeared first on Iran News Daily.

The attack on the US major bases in Iraq came after Iran pledged to retaliate the US assassination of top Iranian anti-terror commander, Lt. Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

“Tens of surface-to-surface missiles” were fired at the strategic airbase but the exact number is now known now.

US base in Iraq’s northern region of Erbil was also among targets.

The attacks were later confirmed by US officials.

The IRGC added that it would release more details about the strike.

The strike comes as no surprise since Iran had vowed to take “harsh revenge”.

Sirens were reportedly heard and American helicopters flew over the airbase and the total alert was activated.

US President Donald Trump was being briefed about the retaliatory strikes.

“We are aware of the reports of attacks on US facilities in Iraq. The President has been briefed and is monitoring the situation closely and consulting with his national security team,” White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said in a statement.

The Pentagon claimed that it would take necessary measures to protect the US military forces amid heightened tensions in the region.

“We are working on initial battle damage assessments,” Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in statement, adding that the bases targeted were at al-Assad airbase and another in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.

“At approximately 5.30 pm (2230 GMT) on January 7, Iran launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles against US military and coalition forces in Iraq,” Assistant to the US Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Jonathan Hoffman said in a statement.

“It is clear that these missiles were launched from Iran and targeted at least two Iraqi military bases hosting US military and coalition personnel at Al-Assad and Irbil.”

Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) anti-terror group, better known as Hashd al-Sha’abi forces, announced the start of Crushing Response Operation to the United States.

The White House was preparing for an address to the US nation by the American commander in chief, but it was announced later that the speech has been called off.

The post Attack on US bases in Iraq after Killing Gen. Soleimani appeared first on Iran News Daily.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One Sunday, the American commander-in-chief’s comments came as tensions were spiraling between Tehran and Washington over the US assassination of Major General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).

Trump, besides emphasizing on staying Us forces in Iraq, defended his earlier remarks about striking Iran’s cultural sites, falsely accusing Tehran of terrorism.

“They’re allowed to use roadside bombs and blow up our people and we’re not allowed to touch their cultural sites? It doesn’t work that way,” he said.

This is while targeting cultural sites with military action is considered a war crime under international law, a point previously brought up by Iranian officials.

“We have a very extraordinarily expensive airbase that’s there. It cost billions of dollars to build, long before my time. We’re not leaving unless they pay us back for it,” he said.

The president vowed to introduce sanctions on Baghdad, ones even harsher than those imposed on Iran.

“We will charge them sanctions as they’ve never seen before ever. It’ll make Iranian sanctions look somewhat tame,” Trump said.

Tehran has vowed to retaliate the terrorist attack that led to the martyrdom of the General Soleimani on Thursday.

Thousands of mourners took to the streets in the region to pay homage to the anti-terrorism hero, a household name in Iran.

The post Trump: US forces stay, until Iraq pay for our base appeared first on Iran News Daily.

In an extraordinary parliamentary session, Iraq parliament members voted in favor of a resolution that calls for ending presence of US military forces in the country. The resolution’s main aim is to get the US to withdraw some 5,000 US troops present in different parts of Iraq.

The vote comes two days after a US airstrike killed Iranian Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani in Iraq, dramatically increasing regional tensions.

The Iraqi resolution specifically calls for ending an agreement in which Washington sent troops to Iraq more than four years ago to help in the fight against the Daesh terrorist group.

The Iraqi lawmakers, citing Articles 59 and 109 of the Constitution, in line with their national and regulatory responsibilities as representatives to safeguard the security and sovereignty of Iraq, had earlier signed a four-point bill as follows:

Firstly, the central government in Baghdad is obliged to cancel its request to the US-led military coalition, which was purportedly fighting Daesh terrorists on the ground, now that military operations have ended in the country, and victory over Daesh has been achieved. The Iraqi government should, therefore, put an end to the presence of any foreign troops and prevent the use of Iraqi airspace.

Secondly, the government and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces must announce the number of foreign trainers they need, along with their locations, responsibilities, and duration of their contracts.

Thirdly, the Iraqi foreign minister, on behalf of the government, must turn to the United Nations Security Council to file a complaint against the United States for violations of Iraqi sovereignty and security.

Fourthly, the Iraqi government has been required to conduct a thorough investigation into the recent US airstrike in Baghdad and inform parliament of its results within seven days of the date of approval of this bill.

Finally, the plan comes into force once it obtains parliamentary approval.

Earlier in the day, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had said, “The end of the malign US presence in West Asia has begun” as the US president’s ramped-up rhetoric against Iran followed the US assassination of the top Iranian general in Iraq.

The post Iraq parliament votes to expel US forces appeared first on Iran News Daily.

TEHRAN (Iran News) – A senior Iranian official says the Islamic Republic is opposed to Japan planning to dispatch Self-Defense Forces (SDF) to the Middle East to help ensure what Tokyo describes as the safe navigation of commercial vessels.

The post dispatching Japan Self-Defense Forces to Middle East; Iran Opposes appeared first on Iran News Daily.

“The Americans themselves have claimed and even confessed to have created ISIS and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. They (terrorists) have an expiry date, and whenever they are expired, they are destroyed (by the US),” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi said in an interview with IRIB on Monday.

“ISIS was eliminated by the youth of the (axis of) resistance. The nations and governments of Syria and Iraq, with logistical support from Iran and the pious people of the region, destroyed (ISIS) with their resistance. But Daeshism, terrorist ideologies, extremism and sectarianism still persist and have always been among the instruments used by countries like the US,” the Iranian spokesman added.

“We do not consider al-Baghdadi death as an end to terrorism and ISIS. Although we defeated ISIS with the (help of) regional governments and nations, we warn that the ideology is still alive, and their remnants may be reorganized by the Americans and carry out destructive operations in the region,” Mousavi added.

It is not surprising or strange that the US has raised such hullabaloo over the operation against al-Baghdadi, he added, describing the move as a trump card being played ahead of the US presidential election for domestic consumption.

“From our viewpoint, this (US operation) was not a great measure, because Daesh had been defeated by us and (other) regional countries. We should wait and see what plots the enemies of region have in mind for the region’s future,” the Iranian spokesperson went on to say.

US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has died during a “dangerous and daring” nighttime operation in Syria.

The post Iran: US Account of Baghdadi Death not that worthy appeared first on Iran News Daily.

“Russia’s defense ministry has no reliable information about an operation by US forces in the Turkey-controlled part of the Idlib de-escalation zone aimed at another extermination of Islamic State (Daesh) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi,” he said.

He said that the fact that the number of those who say about their participation in Baghdadi’s extermination and share contradictory details of the operation make one doubt that such an operation ever took place, the Tass news agency reported.

“We know nothing about any assistance to the flight of US aircraft to the Idlib de-escalation zone’s airspace in the course of this operation,” Konashenkov said.

Yet another report about the extermination of al-Baghdadi can hardly influence the situation in Syria, Konashenkov said.

“After Islamic State was ultimately defeated by the Syrian government army with support of the Russia aerospace forces in early 2018, yet another ‘death’ of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi will have no impact either on the situation in Syria or on the actions of terrorists staying in Idlib,” he said.

US President Donald Trump said earlier in the day that they have caused Baghdadi’s extermination in an overnight raid led by US forces in Syria’s Idlib. He said that many of al-Baghdadi’s supporters and Islamic State militants had been killed as well. There were no casualties among the US military, he claimed.

The post Russia: No proof of Baghdadi’s Extermination by US appeared first on Iran News Daily.