Five missiles fired at American oil company in Iraq

Amid rising tensions between Iran and the US, five missiles were fired at an “American oil company,” according to the Iranian Fars News website. The report is based on another Iraqi report that said Monday morning that rockets had been fired at a company linked to Halliburton. How the website knew this is unclear and photos were not available from the scene. It was also unclear who fired the alleged rockets; it could also be blamed on ISIS.

However, the alleged rocket attack fits a pattern of dozens of such attacks on bases housing US troops and against the American Embassy. In 2018, there were also attacks on US facilities in Basra, and the oil fields were largely evacuated of some foreign workers. The US evacuated its consulate in Basra and warned Iran and its proxies against attacks. Social justice protesters in October and November 2019 blocked roads to the oil fields around Basra.

The Iranian report, whether accurate or not, is evidence of Iran’s attempt to play up attacks on the US in Iraq as part of a media campaign trying to warn the US to leave the Islamic Republic’s neighbor. Iranian media is flooded with reports of anti-US politicians and forces in Iraq. Washington has been slowly repositioning forces in Iraq, withdrawing from K-1, Q-West, Qiam, Taqaddum and other sites in recent weeks. The US says this is due to coronavirus, but many other countries are also withdrawing their forces, including Czechoslovakia, the UK, France and others, leaving these posts exposed to attacks.

America is in Iraq to fight ISIS, but in recent months it has carried out three airstrikes on Iranian-backed proxies and their leaders including Iranian IRGC Quds Force head Qasem Soleimani. Pro-Iranian activists and politicians are trying to remove US forces from Iraq.

The report claims that the rockets hit near the “number 20” oil well, one of the largest in Iraq. The website argued that investigations were ongoing. The rockets could have also been fired by ISIS or other groups. It’s unclear why pro-Iranian groups would want to damage Iraq’s oil infrastructure, since they want to run the country. However oil prices are at an all time low, so the oil well has less importance now than it did in the past.

Source: JP