ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Two Iraqi pro-Iran militia groups on Thursday warned that should the US support Israel in its escalating conflict with Iran or assassinate the Iranian supreme leader, American interests in the region will be targeted.
“We reaffirm, with even greater clarity, that should the United States enter into this war, the deranged [US President Donald] Trump shall forfeit all the trillions he dreams of seizing from this region. Operational plans have been established for that purpose,” Abu Ali al-Askari, the head of the Iraqi Hezbollah Brigades’ Security Bureau, said in a statement.
"Undoubtedly. American bases throughout the region will become akin to duck hunting grounds. The Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandab will be shut down, and oil ports along the Red Sea will cease operation- not to mention the unforeseen surprises that may await its aircraft in the skies,” he added.
The Israel-Iran conflict erupted on Friday after Israeli airstrikes killed several senior Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists. In response, Iran has launched multiple waves of missile and drone attacks against Israeli targets.
While many expected Trump to decide whether to become directly involved in the conflict in the coming days, he said late Thursday that he may make a decision within a fortnight.
“Based on the fact that there is a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt quoted Trump as saying in a statement during a press briefing.
The Iraqi government, politicians, and pro-Iran militia groups and figures have strongly condemned the Israeli attacks on Iraq’s neighbor and closest regional ally, Iran. However, no action has been taken against US interests in the country or the wider region. Even groups that previously targeted US bases and Israel with suicide drones have so far refrained from any operations against their adversaries.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not ruled out the assassination of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, claiming that his death could end the conflict.
Trump made inflammatory remarks against Iran and Khamenei on Wednesday. He demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender” and, while calling Khamenei an “easy target,” clarified that there are no current plans to assassinate him.
Iraq’s supreme Shiite religious authority, represented by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, warned against any attempt to target Iran’s “supreme religious and political leadership,” calling it a “criminal act" with grave consequences for the entire region.
Akram al-Kaabi, the founder and Secretary-General of Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba (HHN) in Iraq, warned Trump against any plans to assassinate Khamenei.
“At that point, not a single soldier or diplomat of yours will be safe. Everyone holding your nationality in our region - and all your direct and indirect interests - will become legitimate targets for us, as long as we live in this vile world,” added Kaabi, who was sanctioned by the US in 2019.
It remains unclear how these militia groups will react to a potential US intervention in the conflict, especially since the latest US strikes against them under President Joe Biden last year effectively deterred them from targeting American interests.
Influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who has called on the Iraqi government to avoid involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict, on Wednesday called for anti-Israel protests in Baghdad.
Sadr, who has strongly opposed US presence in Iraq, said in a statement that it is “necessary” to hold demonstrations in Baghdad after Friday prayer, describing the move as a “new challenge to Zionist, American and Western colonial arrogance.”
Several anti-Israel demonstrations have been held in Iraq in the past week, but they were not huge or effective.
Supporters of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi) in Nineveh province on Tuesday took to the streets and held demonstrations in support of Iran, condemning the Israeli strikes.
“We declare our strongest condemnation and denunciation of the brutal aggression that the Islamic Republic of Iran is being subjected to by the Zionist enemy and its supporters from the global arrogant powers,” Abbas Abu Fadel, head of the Iran-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq’s (AAH) office in Nineveh, said in a speech.
AAH, led by Qais al-Khazali, is designated a terrorist organization by the US and Israel over its alleged ties to Iran and attacks on US and coalition forces. Khazali is also part of the Coordination Framework, a key component of Iraq’s governing coalition.