ADThe general’s public remarks were his first since an American airstrike killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad on Jan. 3. On Thursday, the Treasury Department issued sanctions against four international petrochemical and oil companies whose exports have provided revenue that the United States says Iran uses to fund its military activities and militias in the region. ADThe Pentagon says Iranian-linked militia attacks killed at least 500 troops following the 2003 Iraq invasion. But those militias fought on the same side as the United States and its allies — albeit at a distance — against the Islamic State in Iraq beginning in 2014. ADMcKenzie said the United States would seek to be “coolheaded” amid the current crisis, hoping Iran would do the same, but would respond forcefully if needed.

Source: Washington Post January 23, 2020 20:12 UTC