It was at the very spot where Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and his Iraqi lieutenant were killed in an American attack a year ago, that thousands of Iraqis marched against the United States on Saturday night in Sunday January 3, in Baghdad,

By candlelight, women, men and children, all dressed in black, at Baghdad International Airport greeted their "martyrs" and shouted at the "Great Satan", in reference to the United States, before another anti-demonstration. American scheduled for later Sunday in Tahrir Square in central Baghdad. 

Powers acting in Iraq, the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran are at loggerheads and the strong tensions between the two enemy countries raise fears of an open conflict on Iraqi soil.

On January 3, 2020 and on the orders of President Donald Trump, a drone attack pulverized the two vehicles where Qassem Soleimani, the architect of Iranian strategy in the Middle East, and Abou Mehdi al-Mouhandis, the commander of the Hachd were located. al-Chaabi, a coalition of tens of thousands of pro-Iran paramilitaries in Iraq.

Denounce "the American occupier"

"We say to America and the enemies of Islam (...) that we will continue to resist despite the bloodshed," Batoul Najjar, a supporter of Hachd al-Chaabi, the coalition now told AFP. integrated with the Iraqi security forces.

"Abu Mehdi al-Mouhandis, we will go out by the millions to brandish your portrait on Tahrir," said Ahmed Assadi, a leader of the Hachd parliamentary bloc.

Later, Sunday, and at the call of Hachd al-Chaabi, the Iraqis must converge on Tahrir Square to denounce "the American occupier".

Since Saturday, from the top of the "Turkish restaurant", a huge derelict building, a giant poster of Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mehdi al-Mouhandis has been overlooking this emblematic square.

Iran warns

Deployed by Hachd al-Chaabi, this poster is quite a symbol.

For months in 2019, by the tens of thousands, the Iraqis have shouted from the "Turkish restaurant" and Tahrir the Iraqi power and its Iranian "godfather".

In some demonstrations of the "October Revolution", portraits of Soleimani were even trampled.

Against this backdrop of heightened tensions, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted that in Iraq "Israeli agent provocateurs are planning attacks on Americans" to put "Trump in a bind with a fabricated casus belli".

Tehran has also accused Donald Trump of seeking to create "a pretext" to launch "a war" before his departure after a mandate of "maximum pressure" against Tehran.

"Beware of the trap", launched Mohammad Javad Zarif, "any fireworks will experience a serious backlash, especially against your best friend (Israel, Editor's note)".

New intelligence from Iraq indicate that Israeli agent-provocateurs are plotting attacks against Americans — putting an outgoing Trump in a bind with a fake casus belli.



Be careful of a trap, @realDonaldTrump.

Any fireworks will backfire badly, particularly against your same BFFs.

- Javad Zarif (@JZarif) January 2, 2021

Since January 3, 2020, Donald Trump's response has been the same.

Referring to "speculation about further attacks on Americans in Iraq," he warned: "If an American is killed, I will hold Iran responsible."

Exactly a year ago, the braced positions of Washington and Tehran made the world fear that their tensions would explode into open conflict in Iraq.

Iran had responded to Soleimani's assassination by firing missiles at Iraqi bases housing US soldiers.

And he warned that those responsible for the assassination of his general would be "nowhere safe".

A possible last-ditch for Trump?

In 2021, the danger seems even greater, according to experts.

Hachd leaders keep implying that Iraqi Prime Minister Moustafa al-Kazimi, who arrived in the wake of the revolt, is working with anti-power protesters for the United States.

Moustafa al-Kazimi made the choice of diplomacy of small steps with the pro-Iran.

Because he is unable to win if a confrontation is necessary, assure the experts.

>> To read also: Towards the end of Donald Trump's bellicose mandate against Iran?

Iraqis anxiously await the coming weeks as Washington and Tehran have found themselves on the brink of war for the past 18 months, especially after Soleimani's elimination.

Without forgetting the tensions in the Gulf and those linked to the international Iranian nuclear agreement unilaterally denounced by Donald Trump.

On the one hand, pro-Iran Iraqi groups have resumed their rocket attacks against American interests in Iraq.

On the other hand, the specter of a possible last stand for Donald Trump, before Joe Biden succeeds him on January 20, still looms.

With AFP

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