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Assassination Of Qasem Soleimani
On 3 January 2020, Qasem Soleimani, an Iranian major general, was Targeted killing, killed by an American drone strike ordered by U.S. president Donald Trump near Baghdad International Airport in Iraq, while travelling to meet Iraqi prime minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi. Soleimani was commander of the Quds Force, one of five Military branch, branches of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is designated as a terrorist organization by both the United States and European Parliament. Soleimani was considered the second most powerful person in Iran, subordinate to Supreme Leader of Iran, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, even being considered Khamenei’s right hand man. Five Iraqi nationals and four other Iranian nationals were killed alongside Soleimani, including the deputy chairman of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and commander of the Iran-backed Kata'ib Hezbollah militia, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. The Pentagon says Soleimani and his troops were "responsible fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Quds Force
The Quds Force () is one of five branches of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). It specializes in unconventional warfare and military intelligence operations. U.S. Army's Iraq War General Stanley McChrystal describes the Quds Force as an organization analogous to a combination of the CIA and the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) in the United States. Responsible for extraterritorial operations, the Quds Force supports non-state actors in many countries, including Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Houthi movement, and Shia militias in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. According to Michael Wigginton et al., the Quds Force is "a classic example of state-sponsored terrorism." The Quds Force reports directly to the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei. After Qasem Soleimani was assassinated in a U.S. drone strike, his deputy, Esmail Qaani, replaced him. The U.S. Secretary of State designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Green Zone
The Green Zone () is the most common name for the International Zone of Baghdad. It is a area in the Karkh, Karkh district of central Baghdad, Iraq. It is the chief government precinct and the seat of the Iraqi government. History Pre-2003 The International Zone was a heavily fortified zone in the center of the Iraqi capital that served as the headquarters of successive Iraqi regimes. It was the administrative center for the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Iraq Region, Ba'ath Party. The area was not originally home to the villas of government officials though it was the location of a number of military bases, government ministries, and presidential palaces inhabited by Saddam Hussein and his family. The largest of these was the Republican Palace (Iraq), Republican Palace that was President Saddam Hussein's primary seat of power. The area is also known as ''Karradat Mariam'', so named for a locally famous woman who helped the poor people of Baghdad. Invasion of Iraq (2003) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Attack On The United States Embassy In Baghdad
The U.S. embassy in the Green Zone of Baghdad, Iraq, was attacked on 31 December 2019 by Kata'ib Hezbollah militiamen and their Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) supporters and sympathizers. The attack was prompted by the U.S. airstrikes on 29 December 2019 that targeted weapons depots and command and control installations of Kata'ib Hezbollah across Iraq and Syria. The attack occurred amidst the backdrop of the 2019–2021 Persian Gulf crisis, leading the United States to blame Iran and its non-state allies in Iraq for orchestrating the attack, which Iran denied. The U.S. responded by sending hundreds of additional troops to the Persian Gulf region, including approximately 100 U.S. Marines to reinforce security at the Baghdad embassy. No deaths or serious injuries occurred during the attack and protesters briefly breached the main compound. However they only made it about 15-20' in. Background On 27 December 2019, an Iraqi airbase in Kirkuk province was attacked with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
December 2019 United States Airstrikes In Iraq And Syria
On 29 December 2019, the United States conducted airstrikes against Kata'ib Hezbollah's weapons depots and command centers in Iraq and Syria, reportedly killing at least 25 militiamen and wounding 55 more. The U.S. Department of Defense said the operation was in retaliation for repeated attacks on Iraqi military bases hosting Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) coalition forces, particularly the 27 December 2019 attack on a Kirkuk airbase that left an American civilian contractor dead. Kata'ib Hezbollah, an extremist Shi'ite militia funded by Iran, denied any responsibility for the attacks. The unilateral U.S. airstrikes were condemned by the Iraqi government, Iraqi Armed Forces personnel, and Iran, and culminated in the U.S. embassy in Baghdad being attacked by Iraqi militiamen and their supporters on 31 December 2019. This in turn led to a U.S. airstrike near Baghdad International Airport on 3 January 2020, killing Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and Kata'ib Hezbollah commande ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2019 K-1 Air Base Attack
A rocket attack was carried out on the K-1 Air Base in Kirkuk province in Iraq on 27 December 2019. The air base was one of many Iraqi military bases that host Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) personnel and, according to the coalition, was attacked by more than 30 rockets. The attack occurred during the 2019–2021 Persian Gulf crisis and preceded a series of events that eventually brought Iran and the United States to the brink of open conflict. Casualties According to Iraqi Brigadier General Ahmed Adnan, the chief of intelligence for the federal police at K-1, three rockets fell on the Iraqi side of the K-1 base, one on the perimeter fence and about seven on the American side. At least one hit a munitions store on the American side, causing a large secondary explosion. The rocket attack killed an American civilian contractor and injured four U.S. service members and two Iraqi security forces personnel. Few of the details of the attack were immediately made available and the nam ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
K-1 Air Base
K-1 Air Base, or Kaywan, is a former Iraqi Air Force base and military base in the Kirkuk Governorate of Iraq. It was captured by Multi-National Force – Iraq, Coalition forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, later served as the headquarters of the 12th Division (Iraq), 12th Division of the Iraqi Army. In 2014 it was taken over by the Kurds, Kurdish Peshmerga. On October 16, 2017, the base was taken back by Iraqi special forces during the Battle of Kirkuk (2017), Battle of Kirkuk. History K-1 was a primary air base for the Iraqi Air Force prior to Operation Iraqi Freedom. It is named after the pumping station at mile 0 (at the Kirkuk oil field) of the Kirkuk-Haifa oil pipeline that was commissioned in 1934. Iraq war 2003–2011 It was used as a Contingency Operating Location by the United States Army after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, 2003 U.S. invasion. During the American presence in Iraq, U.S. and Iraqi forces used training centers at K1 as hubs for combined instr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
United States Sanctions Against Iran
Following the Iranian Revolution, the United States has since 1979 applied various economic, trade, scientific and military sanctions against Iran. United States economic sanctions are administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), an agency of the United States Department of the Treasury. As of 2025, United States sanctions against Iran include an embargo on dealings with the country by the United States, and a ban on selling aircraft and repair parts to Iranian aviation companies. The United States has imposed sanctions against Iran in response to the Iranian nuclear program and Iranian support for Hezbollah, Hamas, and Palestine Islamic Jihad, that are considered terrorist organizations by the United States. Iranian support for the Shia militias in Iraq and the Houthi movement in the Yemen civil war are also in contention. On 17 May 2018, the European Commission announced its intention to implement the blocking statute of 1996 to declare United States sanct ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
United States Withdrawal From The Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action
The United States announced its withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the "Iran nuclear deal" or the "Iran deal", on May 8, 2018. The JCPOA is an agreement on Iran's nuclear program reached in July 2015 by Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council—China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States—plus Germany) also called E3/EU+3. In a joint statement responding to the U.S. withdrawal, the leaders of France, Germany and the United Kingdom stated that the United Nations Security Council resolution endorsing the nuclear deal remained the "binding international legal framework for the resolution of the dispute". Various countries, international organizations, and U.S. scholars have expressed regret or criticized the withdrawal, while U.S. conservatives, Israel, Saudi Arabia and allies have supported it. The withdrawal caused concerns in Iran due to its impact on the economy. On 17 May 20 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kata'ib Hezbollah
Kata'ib Hezbollah (), also known as the Hezbollah Brigades, is an Iraqi Shia paramilitary group which is a part of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), staffing the 45th, 46th, and 47th Brigades. During the Iraq War (2003–11), the group fought against Coalition forces. It has been active in the War in Iraq (2013–2017) and the Syrian Civil War. The group was commanded by Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis until he was killed in a US drone attack in 2020. Thereafter, Abdul Aziz al-Muhammadawi (Abu Fadak) became the new leader of the PMF. The group seeks to establish an Iran-aligned government in Iraq, expel American forces from the country, and advance the regional and international interests of Iran in Iraq and the region. The group is responsible for killing hundreds of U.S. soldiers and takes a central part in carrying out attacks against U.S. targets in Iraq and acts as part of the Axis of Resistance. Kata'ib Hezbollah has received extensive training, funding, logistic sup ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Popular Mobilization Forces
The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF; ), also known as the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), is an Iranian-backed paramilitary umbrella group that operates within Iraq. Although formally and legally part of the Iraqi Armed Forces and reporting directly to the prime minister, PMF leaders act independently from state control and, in reality, answer to the supreme leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei. The PMF is composed of about 67 primarily Shia armed factions, almost all of which are Iranian-backed and openly pledge allegiance to Khamenei. Chief of Staff of the PMF, Abu Fadak al-Mohammadawi, openly declared that the PMF takes orders from Khamenei. PMF chairman Falih al-Fayyadh cooperates with the Iranian IRGC to implement Iranian instructions in Iraq and reinforce Iranian influence over the militias. The PMF were formed in 2014 and fought in nearly every major battle during the War in Iraq (2013–17) against the Islamic State. In December 2016, the Iraqi Council of Representat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ali Khamenei
Ali Hosseini Khamenei (; born 19 April 1939) is an Iranian cleric and politician who has served as the second supreme leader of Iran since 1989. He previously served as the third President of Iran, president from 1981 to 1989. Khamenei's tenure as Supreme Leader, spanning over years, makes him the longest-serving head of state in the Middle East and the second-longest-serving Iranian leader of the 20th and 21st centuries, after Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. A Grand Ayatollah and , he is often associated with leading the Axis of Resistance, a term used to describe a coalition of Iran-aligned groups in the Middle East. According to his official website, Khamenei was arrested six times before being exiled for three years during the reign of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. In June 1981, after the Iranian revolution and the overthrow of the shah, he was the target of an Attempted assassination of Ali Khamenei, attempted assassination that paralysed his right arm. Khamenei was one of Iran's lea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
