Iran launches missiles on US airbases in Iraq at al-Asad and Erbil – live updates
Pentagon confirms attacks on US and coalition forces targeting ‘at least two bases’
Full report: missiles launched against US airbase in Iraq
Donald Trump says strike against ‘monster’ Suleimani was retaliation – video
Maanvi Singh in San Francisco (now) and Joan E Greve in Washington (earlier)
Key events
20:11 EST
The White House is planning a possible televised address from Donald Trump tonight, according to multiple reports. The White House has yet to confirm any plans.
Confirmed: The WH is planning for a possible address from President Trump tonight. Plans could change but I’m told aides are working on it.
— Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) January 8, 2020
Updated at 20:11 EST
20:06 EST
Iran’s Tasnim news agency is now quoting Iranian officials warning that if the US retaliates against these strikes in Iraq, Hezbollah will fire rockets at Israel — a threat to widen the conflict and bring Iran’s regional allies into play.
Updated at 20:13 EST
19:48 EST
A top adviser to Iran’s supreme leader posted an image of the Iranian flag as news steams in of multiple attacks on US military sites.
— Saeed Jalili (@DrSaeedJalili) January 7, 2020
The tweet seems to be a counterpoint to Donald Trump’s tweet featuring a low-resolution image of the American flag, following a strike that killed Iranian general Qassim Suleimani.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2020
Updated at 20:02 EST
19:40 EST
Nancy Pelosi says she’s “closely monitoring the situation”, adding that she’d like “needless provocations from the Administration” end.
Closely monitoring the situation following bombings targeting U.S. troops in Iraq. We must ensure the safety of our servicemembers, including ending needless provocations from the Administration and demanding that Iran cease its violence. America & world cannot afford war.
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) January 8, 2020
In the meantime, defense secretary Mark Esper and secretary of state Mike Pompeo have arrived at the White House. According to CNN, Esper was carrying a large bag.
Updated at 19:49 EST
19:22 EST
The Department of Defense has confirmed: “At approximately 5:30 p.m. (EST) on January 7, Iran launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles against U.S. military and coalition forces in Iraq. It is clear that these missiles were launched from Iran and targeted at least two Iraqi military bases hosting U.S. military and coalition personnel at Al-Assad and Irbil.”
The assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs, Jonathan Hoffman, said that the US is “working on initial battle damage assessments”:
In recent days and in response to Iranian threats and actions, the Department of Defense has taken all appropriate measures to safeguard our personnel and partners. These bases have been on high alert due to indications that the Iranian regime planned to attack our forces and interests in the region.
As we evaluate the situation and our response, we will take all necessary measures to protect and defend U.S. personnel, partners, and allies in the region.
Updated at 20:03 EST
19:19 EST
Iran’s Tasnim news agency has just reported a second wave of attacks has commenced against the al-Asad airbase in Iraq, according to the Guardian’s Michael Safi. More to come.
Updated at 20:17 EST
19:09 EST
Nancy Pelosi received a phone call from Mike Pence, as she was about to open the House for new session. The speaker’s chief of staff said Pelosi called the vice president back minutes after presiding over the House, and was briefed on Iran’s attacks.
Pelosi reportedly received a note with news of the attacks in the interim.
.@SpeakerPelosi returned a phone call to @VP at 6:34 p.m. tonight after her required presiding over the House at 6:30 p.m. The Vice President briefed the Speaker on the Iranian attacks on facilities housing U.S. troops in Iraq.
— Drew Hammill (@Drew_Hammill) January 7, 2020
Updated at 19:09 EST
18:58 EST
Iran has reportedly fired at multiple US facilities in Iraq
Missiles have fired from Iran at Erbil in northern Iraq, as well as Al Asad Air Base in the west, according to ABC News.
MORE: A U.S. official confirms to @ABC News that ballistic missiles have been fired from inside Iran at multiple U.S. military facilities inside Iraq.
The facilities include Erbil in northern Iraq and Al Asad Air Base in western Iraq, the official said. https://t.co/myq7nvXUgO
— ABC News (@ABC) January 7, 2020
The Guardian has not yet independently confirmed this report.
Updated at 18:58 EST
18:49 EST
The White House press secretary said that Donald Trump “has been briefed and is monitoring the situation” in Iraq.
We are aware of the reports of attacks on US facilities in Iraq. The President has been briefed and is monitoring the situation closely and consulting with his national security team.
— Stephanie Grisham (@PressSec) January 7, 2020
Updated at 18:51 EST
18:45 EST
From The Guardian’s Julian Borger and Patrick Wintour:
An airbase in Iraq’s Anbar province that hosts a US contingent has come under fire, the US military confirmed, after a day in which Donald Trump and the Iranian leadership exchanged threats of retaliatory attacks.
Initial reports said al-Asad base was hit by six rockets. It has previously been a target of an Iranian-backed Shia militia, Kata’ib Hezbollah, whose attacks on US and coalition troops triggered tit-for-tat strikes that culminated in the killing on Friday of top Iranian general Qassem Suleimani.
There were also unconfirmed reports of missile attacks elsewhere in Iraq.
Earlier in the day, the secretary of Iran’s national security council, Ali Shamkhani, said 13 “revenge scenarios” were being considered in the wake of the assassination of Qassem Suleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds force, and that even the most limited options would be a “historic nightmare” for the US.
Ali Shamkhani told the Tasnim news agency: “The 27 US bases that are closest to Iran’s border are already on high alert; they know that the response is likely to include medium-range & long-range missiles.”
Trump responded to Iranian threats in remarks to the press at the White House “We’re totally prepared. And likewise, we’re prepared to attack if we have to,” he said.
US base in Iraq comes under rocket attack as Trump and Iran exchange threats
Updated at 18:51 EST
18:42 EST
According to Iran state TV, Tehran has launched “tens” of surface-to-surface missiles toward Iraq’s Ain Assad air base, which houses US troops.
US military officials have confirmed to reporters that at least six rockets fell on the air base.
The US military confirms an ongoing rocket attack on Al-Asad airbase where US troops are based. It’s the one Trump said Iraq would have to pay for if the US leaves.
— Liz Sly (@LizSly) January 7, 2020
Updated at 18:43 EST
18:25 EST
Iran launches missiles on Iraqi air base where US troops are housed
From senior US military source in Iraq:
“Under missile attack from Iran. These are either cruise missiles or short range ballistic missiles. All over the country.”
— Jennifer Griffin (@JenGriffinFNC) January 7, 2020
In a statement, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said: “The brave soldiers of IRGC’s aerospace unit have launched a successful attack with tens of ballistic missiles on Al Assad military base in the name of martyr Gen.Qasem Soleimani”.
BREAKING: STATEMENT FROM IRGC:
“The brave soldiers of IRGC’s aerospace unit have launched a successful attack with tens of ballistic missiles on Al Assad military base in the name of martyr Gen.Qasem Soleimani.”#Iraq #Iran #AlAssadBase
— Farnaz Fassihi (@farnazfassihi) January 7, 2020
There is no information yet on any casualties or damage from the rockets. The Guardian will have more updates soon.
Updated at 20:00 EST
18:18 EST
Republican senators block a resolution to declare that attacks on cultural sites are war crimes
Although Donald Trump has walked back threats to attack Iranian cultural sites, which are forbidden under international law, Democratic senators today tried to pass a resolution rebuking such attacks.
Senator Ed Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts, tried to get unanimous consent to pass the resolution, but his efforts were blocked by the Senate armed services committee chair Jim Inhofe, a Republican from Oklahoma.
“Therefore be it resolved by the Senate, that attacks on cultural sites are war crimes.”
That’s the resolution Republicans just objected to passing.
Attacking cultural sites in Iran would align us with the most sinister forces and draw us further down the path to illegal war. pic.twitter.com/A6L8TGrTSY
— Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) January 7, 2020
© 2020 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.
!!!
Mconnel, president
President Mitch McConnell
He’s in charge of everything but shooting at Iran.

By Gail Collins
Opinion Columnist
Jan. 8, 2020
I guess we can get back to impeachment.
Donald Trump announced the Iran crisis was over Wednesday, adding that Americans “should be extremely grateful and happy.”
It’s not entirely clear who he wants us to be grateful to. God? Fate? The ayatollah?
Let’s take a wild guess that the answer is living in the White House.
It was a very short talk — less than 10 minutes — but the president still managed to give himself multiple pats on the back. (“Over the last three years, under my leadership, our economy is stronger than ever before. …”)
And, naturally, blame everything bad on Barack Obama. Trump threw in one whopping inaccuracy — this would be our friendly, peace-loving version of “big fat lie.” He is going to spend the rest of his life claiming the Obama administration paid Iran billions of dollars to get the nuclear peace accord. Utterly false, but you will never talk Trump out of it, any more than you’ll convince him that windmills don’t cause cancer or that he didn’t really win the popular vote.
Dark, suspicious minds wondered if the president had started the whole Iran crisis to get Americans to stop thinking about the impeachment story. Certainly possible. This is a guy who knows how to distract. He golfs, he tweets, he creates crises.
If Trump thought there was any chance of actually getting kicked out of office, God knows what he’d do. Invade another country? Arrest Nancy Pelosi? Pretend to adopt a pet?
Fortunately for him — if not for us — Mitch McConnell is running everything. The House impeachment vote is, of course, a done deal. The bill is going to reach the Senate sometime soon, and the majority leader has been dropping tiny hints that he’s leaning toward giving Trump a pass. (“I’m going to take my cues from the president’s lawyers.”)
During their deliberations, the senators apparently won’t be hearing from John Bolton, who’s now jumping up and down and waving his hand in an effort to volunteer to serve as a witness. Bolton would be the ideal person to ask about Trump’s plan to trade military aid to Ukraine for political dirt on Joe Biden. Granted, he’s a little late out of the gate. Probably been busy searching his conscience. Can’t possibly have anything to do with having a book coming out.
Doesn’t matter. McConnell has expressed zero enthusiasm for the idea of letting Bolton come — unless Donald Trump decides that the Senate’s top priority should be an unconstrained search for the truth. Hehehehe.
It would take four Republican defections just to get Bolton in the door. Even the most theoretically independent of them — even the ones who are at no political risk whatsoever — seem too terrified to stand up to their leader. (O.K., Mitt Romney, one last chance.)
Some of the Republicans might think wistfully that Mike Pence — even Mike Pence — would be a big improvement over the guy we’ve got now. For the country, maybe, but not for Mitch McConnell. Trump is the perfect president for Mitch. For the past three years, the senator from Kentucky has basically been running the government. Somebody has to do it, and the administration’s people are barely capable of opening their office doors.
Trump’s two big victories as president have been the tax cut — organized and pushed through to law by Mitch McConnell — and a raft of new conservative federal judges. Listen to the president and you’d think he had the opportunity to name them all because Barack Obama just forgot — or was too lazy — to fill any openings. (“He gave me 142!”)
In the real world Obama was nominating judges like crazy. McConnell refused to even give them a hearing.
Thanks to his pal and protector Mitch, Trump has it both ways on issues like gun control and prescription drug prices. He can say he’s in favor of change without taking any risk that anything will be presented for his signature into law. Mitch has it all covered — with a lid. The House passed more than 400 bills last year, and about 80 percent of them are sitting around moldering on the Senate runway.
This is incredible power for a politician who’s never been elected to national office and isn’t even popular in his home state — one recent poll put him at the very bottom of the Senate, with a 37 percent positive voter rating in Kentucky.
Nevertheless, the country’s been Mitchified.
It’s really the McConnell era, and we ought to be discussing that every day, particularly whenever Donald Trump is within earshot.
There’s only so much the media can do to make this situation clear. We have certain journalistic rules against beginning news stories with, “Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who actually runs the country, expressed support for his minion, Donald Trump . …”
But nobody’s stopping you. Tweet away. It’ll drive the president crazy. No idea how McConnell would react. He’s probably too busy making all the real decisions to notice.
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