Trump said Iran would be held “fully responsible” for the attack, but it was unclear whether that meant military retaliation. The U.S. has about 5,200 troops in Iraq, mainly to train Iraqi forces and help them combat Islamic State extremists. Now Iran is orchestrating an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Iraq. Ford said Trump miscalculated by approving Sunday’s airstrikes on Kataeb Hezbollah positions in Iraq and Syria — strikes that drew a public rebuke from the Iraqi government and seem to have triggered Tuesday’s embassy attack. Sen. Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican and supporter of Trump’s Iran policy, called the embassy breach “yet another reckless escalation” by Iran.

Source: thestar December 31, 2019 21:25 UTC