Iran fires missiles at 2 bases in Iraq that house American troops

Trump says he will address the nation Wednesday and seeks to reassure Americans

Al Asad air base in western Iraq and at least one facility in Irbil were targeted. A Pentagon spokesman said that the military took appropriate measures in recent days to protect American personnel and was assessing damage to the bases.

• By Washington Post Staff
• 28 minutes ago

LIVE UPDATES

Warren and other Democrats call for de-escalation, voice concern for U.S. troops

Contractor whose death Trump cites was a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Iraq

Nawres Hamid was killed late last month when authorities say an Iranian-backed militia fired rockets at a base near Kirkuk, Iraq.

• By Aaron C. Davis
• 15 minutes ago

President Trump met with Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis in the Oval Office Tuesday afternoon. (Jabin Botsford/The Post)

White House stumbles in initial public response to Soleimani’s killing

A president who has taken pride in rejecting collaboration and institutional processes in favor of unilateral action and impulsivity is facing the most severe test of that approach.

• By David Nakamura and Josh Dawsey
• 20 minutes ago

• Trump’s team offers mixed messages about ‘imminent’ attack from Iran as justification for killing Soleimani

Iraq says U.S. military letter was ‘clear’: American troops are leaving

USA TODAY

Pentagon raises number of troops that suffered brain injuries in Iran strike to 50

• Trump downplayed injuries: ‘I heard they had headaches’

• Trump threatens reprisals against Iran should U.S. assets or Americans be attacked

  After an Iranian commander suggested that U.S. sites in the Mideast were at risk following the American strike that killed a top Iranian general, President Trump tweeted that 52 sites in Iran could be hit if it goes after U.S. targets.
  
  
  • By Mustafa Salim and Kareem Fahim

• Pompeo Upended Middle East by Pushing Trump to Kill Iranian General

  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is struggling to manage the widening fallout from the drone strike on Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani.

  Pressed for Details on Suleimani Strike, Administration Gives Few

  Trump administration officials argued that General Suleimani was plotting attacks, but Democrats said the intelligence they had seen was too vague.

• • In Iraq, fears of being caught in the middle

    The strike that killed a top Iranian general has shaken Iraqis, sharpening fears that their soil will become home, again, for a bloody shadow war between Washington and Tehran.

    • By Mustafa Salim, Louisa Loveluck and Kareem Fahim
    Analysis

    Iran has vowed revenge against the U.S. But it seems to be in no hurry.

    Analysts believe Iran wants to cause just enough damage to the United States to avenge the death of Qasem Soleimani without starting an all-out war.

    • By Liz Sly
     

    
    

    
    

    Trump’s military tack on Iran shows limits of economic ‘maximum pressure’

    

    Sanctions have crippled the Iranian economy without changing Tehran’s behavior or forcing it to negotiate a new nuclear deal, although the strategy has pushed the fight further into the military realm.

    • By Carol Morello

    Iran’s new Quds Force commander brings continuity to the post held by his slain predecessor

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    Brig. Gen. Ismail Qaani is considered more cautious and bureaucratic than Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, 
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Iraq, once a policy afterthought, has become a problem for the Trump administration

The Pentagon on Monday rushed to play down reports that U.S. troops in Iraq were being repositioned in preparation for a possible withdrawal, worrying allies about a lack of strategy.

• By Karen DeYoung, Missy Ryan and Paul Sonne
• 2 hours ago

• Officials begin drafting possible sanctions against Iraq after Trump’s economic threat

Soleimani’s funeral procession in Iran sees massive crowds and calls for revenge

The turnout for the military commander, pictured to the right, rivaled that of the ceremony to mark the passing of Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989, experts say.

• By Erin Cunningham, Sarah Dadouch and Michael Birnbaum

Defending a war crime 1:59

After President Trump threatened to strike Iranian cultural sites, a war crime, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said any such strikes would be lawful. (Video: JM Rieger/The Post; photo: AP)

Critic’s Notebook

The president didn’t threaten just Iran’s culture sites. He threatened culture.

A line has been crossed, and not one determined just by international law or conventions on the preservation of culture. It is about the soul of a culture or a people.

• By Philip Kennicott

MORE COVERAGE

Both Trump and Democrats see political benefits to U.S. killing of Iranian general

Trump may finally get his wish to end Iran nuclear deal

GOP support for constraining Trump on Iran fades in wake of Soleimani killing

IMPEACHMENT

Bolton’s willingness to testify in Trump’s impeachment trial ramps up pressure on Senate Republicans

John Bolton’s surprise announcement has divided the GOP and appeared to increase the likelihood of testimony that could embarrass the president.

• By Rachael Bade, Mike DeBonis, Tom Hamburger and Robert Costa
• 2 hours ago