The new commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps is struggling to exert control over Tehran's proxies, a top US general said on Thursday, giving warning that it was only a matter of time before an Iran-backed militia kills Americans in Iraq.
Esmail Qaani took over as head of the IRGC's elite Quds Force following the US assassination of his predecessor Qassem Suleimani in 2020, but he “does not exercise the same degree of control over Iranian-aligned militia groups”, Gen Frank McKenzie, head of the US military's Central Command, told the Middle East Institute.
This is increasingly the case in places like Iraq, where Gen McKenzie argued Iran could be dragged into a wider confrontation with the US as Tehran-backed militias carry out attacks on US forces.
“Tehran is well aware of our red lines [in Iraq], yet the evidence is also clear that many of these militia groups are trying in earnest to kill Americans with these attacks. Sooner or later, it’s almost inevitable that they will succeed, and Iran will provoke precisely what it seeks to avoid,” he said.
He called Iran a “main threat” and noted that the regime relies “on proxies to do its dirty work, by funnelling them arms and other resources".
The war in Yemen has dragged on for more than seven years largely because of Iran's support of the Houthi rebels, he added.
“As we have recently seen with their complex attacks on the UAE, not to mention their persistent campaign against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Houthis are less interested than Iran in waging a limited war,” he said.
“Rather, they will recklessly use whatever capabilities that Iran puts in their hands in pursuit of victory, regardless of the risk to human life.”
The US commander accused the Houthis and Iran of “using the population of the southern Arabian peninsula as human lab rats and in the Yemeni civil war as an inhuman experiment in modern war".
He listed ballistic missiles, land-attack cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles as some of the weaponry that Iran provides to the Houthis.
The four-star general urged an integrated, regional strategy that includes Israel to counter the threat.
“Centcom is prepared for all contingencies,” he said, and added that Iran is weighing various moves including “everything from de-escalation and diplomatic normalisation to ramping up attacks against coalition forces".
While arguing that de-escalation and normalisation serve Iran best, Gen McKenzie expressed doubt Tehran would take such a path.
“Tehran has an established habit, ordering a little bit of everything on the menu, including incompatible courses that should never be paired,” the general said.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
Inter Milan 2 (Vecino 65', Barella 83')
Verona 1 (Verre 19' pen)
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
The years Ramadan fell in May
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Essentials
The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.
Brief scores:
Liverpool 3
Mane 24', Shaqiri 73', 80'
Manchester United 1
Lingard 33'
Man of the Match: Fabinho (Liverpool)
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills