US - Iran 'war of words' again amid Covid-19 'storm'
(Baonghean.vn) - Although both the US and Iran are being severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, officials from both sides have continued to "war of words" since the US announced the deployment of the Patriot air defense missile system in Iraq.
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| US President Donald Trump warned that Iran would pay a price if it attacked US forces in Iraq. |
Tensions between the US and Iran flared up after the US deployed Patriot air defense missile systems in Iraq - a move that Iran accused of bringing disaster to the Middle East amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Iran also demanded that the US withdraw its troops from Iraq.
US President Donald Trump later warned that Iran would pay a heavy price if it continued to attack US forces in Iraq. Mr. Donald Trump posted on Twitter: "Based on the information the United States has, Iran and its proxies are planning to secretly carry out attacks on US forces and assets in Iraq."
In response, Iran declared that it was “only acting in self-defense” and did not “lie, deceive and kill” like the US. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif affirmed that Iran would not start wars, but was ready to “teach a lesson” to anyone who started a war with Iran. General Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, said that recent attacks on US forces in Iraq were a “natural reaction” of the Iraqi people when the US continued to maintain a military presence in the country. General Mohammad Bagheri affirmed that Iran had no intention of attacking foreign forces and was not involved in the attacks on the US in Iraq, but was “blamed” by the US.
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| The US and Iran are in a "war of words" despite the Covid-19 pandemic. |
Bases in Iraq that house US troops or US missions have been hit by more than 20 rocket attacks since October, with the US blaming Iran-backed militias for the attacks. Analysts say the US and Iran are both vying for influence in Iraq, where Iran has powerful allies and the US has close ties to the government.
In the context of the Covid-19 outbreak in both the US and Iran, Iran has repeatedly called on the Donald Trump administration to change its sanctions policies, considering this a “historic opportunity for the US to correct its mistakes and prove that the US is not against the Iranian people”. Although medicines and medical equipment are exempted from US sanctions, Iran’s purchase of medical supplies to deal with the Covid-19 epidemic is still facing many difficulties due to banks’ concerns.
Currently, the US has more than 244,000 people infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, more than 6,000 deaths, while Iran has more than 50,000 infected people and more than 3,000 deaths.