Drones target Iraqi base hosting US troops: Report
The Associated Press news agency is reporting that three drones launched towards the Ain al-Asad air base in western Iraq, which houses US troops, have been shot down.
The agency, which cited two anonymous US officials, said that no group has claimed responsibility for the launches.
The reported assault comes amid fears in the US that Iran-backed groups could attack American forces across the Middle East as the Israel-Iran conflict escalates.
Israel-Iran conflict could spread to Middle Eastern countries hosting foreign military bases
Iran has threatened to attack western bases [in the Middle East] if those countries provide further support Israel. If that happens, then western military assets, the US in particular, but also that of the UK, it really could expand what is such a serious situation to other countries.
Just to give you a list of where the UK have forces based: in Iraq and in Syria, where they were fighting ISIL, they still have forces there.
In the Gulf and the UAE and Qatar, in Bahrain and in Oman, and the big UK sovereign base in Cyprus.
So it shows the spread of the UK, a similar spread of the US, and I think that’s the big worry of further escalation. A big worry politically in terms of militarily what could happen, and real concern about what that could mean for the global economy, given this is the centre of oil and gas in the world.
What’s the impact if Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz?
Ed Hirs, an energy expert and professor at the University of Houston in the US, says the potential closure of the Strait of Hormuz would have a significant effect on global oil prices.
As we’ve been reporting, Iran’s IRINN news agency reported that Esmail Kosari, a member of the Iranian parliament’s security commission, said the country was seriously reviewing the possible closure of the strait in response to Israel’s attacks.
“The strait carries between 18 and 20 million barrels per day, so almost 20 percent of the global oil market passes through the Strait of Hormuz,” Hirs told Al Jazeera. “There is no real easy alternative route out of that area for Saudi Arabia, for Kuwait.”
Cutting that traffic by half, Hirs explained, “would lead to a global oil price spike [of] probably over $120/barrel – that impact would hit everyone across the world very quickly.”
Closing the strait could give Trump – who has kept up tough rhetoric against Tehran but said he wants the conflict with Israel to end – “an excuse to attack Iran”, Hirs added.
“Attacking the global economy, attacking the US economy directly by cutting off the flow of oil to the global market, [that] would probably be the catalyst necessary to engage the US directly against Iran.”
