Tensions Mount between US, Iran ahead of Soleimani Killing Anniversary

Tensions have mounted between the United States and Iran ahead of the anniversary of the killing of Qassem Soleimani. (Getty Images)
Tensions have mounted between the United States and Iran ahead of the anniversary of the killing of Qassem Soleimani. (Getty Images)
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Tensions Mount between US, Iran ahead of Soleimani Killing Anniversary

Tensions have mounted between the United States and Iran ahead of the anniversary of the killing of Qassem Soleimani. (Getty Images)
Tensions have mounted between the United States and Iran ahead of the anniversary of the killing of Qassem Soleimani. (Getty Images)

Tensions have mounted between the United States and Iran as the one year anniversary of the killing of Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani approaches, raising the specter of war.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif accused US President Donald Trump of attempting to fabricate a pretext to attack Iran, and said Tehran does not seek conflict, but would defend itself forcefully.

Zarif said in a tweet: “Instead of fighting Covid in US, @realDonaldTrump & cohorts waste billions to fly B52s & send armadas to OUR region. Intelligence from Iraq indicate plot to FABRICATE pretext for war.”

The two US military flew two nuclear-capable B-52 bombers to the Middle East in a message of deterrence to Iran on Wednesday, but the bombers have since left the region.

"We do not seek conflict, but no one should underestimate our ability to defend our forces or to act decisively in response to any attack," Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, commander of US Central Command, said in a statement Wednesday. "The US continues to deploy combat-ready capabilities into the US Central Command area of responsibility to deter any potential adversary."

The Pentagon announced on Thursday that the Nimitz aircraft carrier, which was off the coast of Somalia, would be heading back to its homeport. Previously operating in the Middle East, some US officials said the move could be seen an attempt to reduce tensions in the region.

In recent days there has been increased concern and vigilance about what Iranian-backed forces might do in the lead up to the anniversary of the Jan. 3 US drone strike in Iraq that killed Soleimani.

Washington blames Iran-backed militia for regular rocket attacks on US facilities in Iraq, including near the embassy. No known Iran-backed groups have claimed responsibility.

Iran is preparing to hold events marking the anniversary of Soleimani’s killing.

Hossein Dehghan, a military adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, said on Twitter: “I saw on the news that the Americans are on alert for fear of the revenge (over Soleimani’s killing) and have flown two B-52 bombers over the Gulf”.

“All their military bases in the region are covered by our missiles. I advise the White House evictee (Trump) not to turn the New Year into mourning for Americans,” said Dehghan, a former defense minister.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Fars news agency said Quds Force commander Esmail Ghaani had submitted a report to parliament on the readiness and deployment of pro-Iran militias.

“The demise of American forces is near,” he was quoted as saying.

American intelligence analysts in recent days say they have detected Iranian air defenses, maritime forces and other security units on higher alert, reported the New York Times.

President Hassan Rouhani, meanwhile, reiterated his relief that the term of US President Donald Trump was ending, renewing his comparison of him to late Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

The people have realized that as long as the US remains in the region, it will not witness any calm, he remarked.

The enemies have been harmed by the “barbaric” Soleimani assassination and “they must realize that the people of Iran and the region are more resilient and they will continue along the resistance path,” he vowed.



Taliban Say 2 Americans Held in Afghanistan Were Freed in a Prisoner Exchange

Taliban security personnel stand guard at the site two days after air strikes by Pakistan in the Barmal district of eastern Paktika province on December 26, 2024. (Photo by Ahmad SAHEL ARMAN / AFP)
Taliban security personnel stand guard at the site two days after air strikes by Pakistan in the Barmal district of eastern Paktika province on December 26, 2024. (Photo by Ahmad SAHEL ARMAN / AFP)
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Taliban Say 2 Americans Held in Afghanistan Were Freed in a Prisoner Exchange

Taliban security personnel stand guard at the site two days after air strikes by Pakistan in the Barmal district of eastern Paktika province on December 26, 2024. (Photo by Ahmad SAHEL ARMAN / AFP)
Taliban security personnel stand guard at the site two days after air strikes by Pakistan in the Barmal district of eastern Paktika province on December 26, 2024. (Photo by Ahmad SAHEL ARMAN / AFP)

A prisoner swap between the United States and Afghanistan's Taliban freed two Americans in exchange for a Taliban figure imprisoned for life in California on drug trafficking and terrorism charges, officials said Tuesday.
The deal came as Joe Biden, who oversaw the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, handed power over to returning President Donald Trump. The Taliban praised the swap as a step toward the “normalization” of ties between the US and Afghanistan, but that likely remains a tall order as most countries in the world still don't recognize their rule.
The Taliban’s Foreign Ministry in Kabul confirmed the swap, saying two unidentified US citizens had been exchanged for Khan Mohammed, who was sentenced to two terms of life imprisonment in 2008.
The family of Ryan Corbett, one American held by the Taliban, confirmed he had been released in a statement. Corbett, who had lived in Afghanistan with his family at the time of the 2021 collapse of the US-backed government, was detained by the Taliban in August 2022 while on a business trip.
“Our hearts are filled with overwhelming gratitude and praise to God for sustaining Ryan’s life and bringing him back home after what has been the most challenging and uncertain 894 days of our lives,” the family's statement said. They thanked both Trump and Biden, as well as many government officials, for their efforts in freeing him.
Corbett's family also praised the Middle Eastern nation of Qatar “for their vital role in facilitating Ryan’s release, and for their visits to Ryan as the United States’ Protecting Power in Afghanistan.”
Both CNN and The New York Times, relying on anonymous US officials, identified the second American released as William McKenty, though no other details have emerged about his identity or what he was doing in Afghanistan.
Mohammed, 55, was a prisoner in California after his 2008 conviction. The Bureau of Prisons early Tuesday listed Mohammed as not being in their custody.
Mohammed was detained on the battlefield in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province and later taken to the US. A federal jury convicted him on charges of securing heroin and opium that he knew were bound for the United States and, in doing so, assisting terrorism activity.
The Justice Department at the time referred to Mohammed as a violent extremist and “narcotics trafficker” who “sought to kill US soldiers in Afghanistan using rockets.” He was the first person to be convicted on US narco-terrorism laws.
Before Biden left office, his administration had been trying to work out a deal to free Corbett as well as George Glezmann and Mahmood Habibi in exchange for Muhammad Rahim, one of the remaining detainees at Guantanamo Bay.
Glezmann, an airline mechanic from Atlanta, was taken by the Taliban’s intelligence services in December 2022 while traveling through the country. Habibi, an Afghan-American businessman who worked as a contractor for a Kabul-based telecommunications company, also went missing in 2022. The Taliban have denied they have Habibi.
Officials in Washington did not respond to requests for comment early Tuesday after Trump's inauguration the day before.
The Taliban called the exchange the result of “long and fruitful negotiations” with the US and said it was a good example of solving problems through dialogue.
The Taliban have been trying to make inroads in being recognized, in part to escape the economic tailspin caused by its takeover. Billions in international funds were frozen, and tens of thousands of highly skilled Afghans fled the country and took their money with them.