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U.S. Kills Top Iranian Military Leader in Airstrike; Iran Vows ‘Harsh Retaliation’

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By Vox. On Thursday night, the Pentagon announced that the United States killed Maj. Gen. Qassem Suleimani, the head of Iran’s paramilitary forces, in an airstrike in Iraq “at the direction of the President.”

The strike that took out Suleimani also reportedly killed the leader of Kataib Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy militia in Iraq that has repeatedly attacked US and allied forces and recently launched rockets at a US military base. Those attacks killed an American contractor, which led the United States to respond and kill 25 operatives in attacks in Iraq and Syria. In separate operations, US forces have also captured and arrested leaders of other important Iraqi militias with close ties to Iran.

The killing of Suleimani, the long-time head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force (IRGC-QF) is likely to prove a watershed in Washington’s relations with Iraq and Iran and will substantially affect the overall US position in the Middle East. The blowback may be huge, and much depends on how well prepared the United States is for Iran’s response and that of its many proxies in the Middle East. (Read more from “U.S. Kills Top Iranian Military Leader in Airstrike” HERE)

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Oil Prices Jump After Iran Military Leader Killed in U.S. Strike

By CNN. Oil prices pulled higher Friday morning after a top Iranian general was killed in a US airstrike at Baghdad’s airport ordered by President Donald Trump.

Futures for Brent crude, a global benchmark, jumped 2.9% to $68.16 per barrel during Asian trading hours on Friday. US oil futures gained 2.8%, reaching $62.86 per barrel. That puts both on pace right now for their biggest daily gains in about a month, according to Refinitiv data.

The Pentagon confirmed in a statement that the US military killed Qasem Soleimani, the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force unit, in the attack at Baghdad International Airport. It said the strike was aimed at “deterring future Iranian attack plans.” (Read more from “Oil Prices Jump After Iran Military Leader Killed in U.S. Strike” HERE)

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Iran Vows ‘Harsh Retaliation’ After U.S. Airstrike Kills Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani

By Fox News. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday warned that a “harsh retaliation is waiting” for the U.S. after an airstrike on an airport in Baghdad killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force.

The Iranian state TV carried a statement by Khamenei who also called Soleimani “the international face of resistance.” Khamenei declared three days of public mourning for the general’s death.

The Iranian foreign minister warned that the U.S. would bear all the consequences of the “foolish” military attack, claiming Soleimani’s assassination would only escalate tensions in the region given that he was “THE most effective force” fighting terrorism carried out by the Islamic State.

Javad Zarif, the foreign minister of Islamic Republic of Iran, said on Twitter that “The US’ act of international terrorism, targeting & assassinating General Soleimani—THE most effective force fighting Daesh (ISIS), Al Nusrah, Al Qaeda et al—is extremely dangerous & a foolish escalation.”

“The US bears responsibility for all consequences of its rogue adventurism,” he said.

(Read more from “Iran Vows ‘Harsh Retaliation’ After U.S. Airstrike Kills Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani” HERE)

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Attack on U.S. Embassy in Baghdad Exposes the Farce of Our Support for the Baghdad Government

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The Iraq war was a colossal mistake that strengthened Iran beyond belief. There was never any realistic chance of installing a pro-American government in Shiite-dominated Baghdad. Our forces are eternally on the hook both for the Iranian-backed Shiite attacks and the Sunni insurgencies, in response to the Shiite hegemony threatening our forces and assets in the country. This is the enduring lesson our policymakers refuse to understand as they continue to grope in the darkness, perpetuating policies in the Middle East based on illusions. In the case of Iraq, there is this illusion that Baghdad is somehow our ally, when in fact it is perpetually an ally of Iran. This is painfully obvious from the developments today in Iraq.

Our continued presence in Iraq and support for the Baghdad regime are actually harming our deterrent against Iran and preventing us from countering it directly in the Straits of Hormuz and through more robust sanctions. Because of our fear that Iran will retaliate against our forces in Iraq, our government has largely held back from destroying Iran’s naval piracy operations in the Persian Gulf, which, unlike the Iraq nation-building mission, actually affects our strategic interests.

This fear came to fruition last Friday when an Iranian-backed Shiite militia attacked our base in Kirkuk with rockets, killing one contractor and wounding several U.S. soldiers. U.S. forces responded by launching air strikes against the Kata’ib Hezbollah (Hezbollah Brigades) militia in five locations throughout Iraq and Syria, killing dozens of their fighters. This set off a protest/attack against the U.S. embassy in Baghdad today that is close to spiraling out of control.

While everyone is focusing on the actual sacking of the U.S. embassy, the most important observation is the fact that these militias were able to breach the Green Zone security perimeter controlled by the Iraqi government. It’s evident that the Baghdad government itself is not just unreliable, but is controlled by these very forces.

Thus, once again, we are paying for the rope to hang ourselves in the Middle East. We fought together with some of these same militias in 2016 to bail out a Shiite pro-Iran government from the Sunni insurgency, aka ISIS. Now they are attacking us. How about we finally step outside the dumpster fire of tribal warfare and take a more holistic approach to the Middle East? We should draw a security perimeter around our maritime assets, zap anything that challenges them with our air and naval assets, and leave the land-based tribal wars to the Islamists.

This notion that we must remain in Baghdad to fight off Iranian influence is the most circular argument imaginable. The Shiite population is already going to side with Iran in perpetuity, and it will forever spawn endless rounds of Sunni insurgencies. We will never be able to fix the constituencies that these terrorist actors represent. The best we can do is free ourselves from this entanglement, so that we can confront Iran directly from a position of strength.

We have pumped endless funds into the “Afghan government,” the “Iraqi government,” and the “Lebanese armed forces.” In the case of the latter two, we as may as well hand the checks straight to Iran. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo just signed off on $115 million in aid to Lebanon’s armed forces, even as a Hezbollah member, Hassan Diab, was chosen by the Hezbollah-dominated parliament to be the new prime minister.

Our policies are built on the illusion of governments in the Middle East distinct from the terrorist actors or the insufferably fractured constituencies they represent. That fantasy is getting our people killed and harming our deterrent in the theaters that actually matter in the Middle East.

Foreign policy hawks will call for a robust response to Iran for attacking our embassy. But we need to also think strategically in the long term. On behalf of whom are we fighting in Baghdad? Why are we backing a government led by Adil Abdul-Mahdi, a man who worked closely with Iran while in exile under Saddam Hussein? That question must finally be answered after two decades of failure. We have nothing to show for the war other than tens of thousands of dead and wounded Americans, Iranian hegemony, the Sunnis fueling more terrorism, and 200,000 unvetted immigrants we’ve taken in from Iraq – equally divided between Sunnis and Shias.

What our policymakers refuse to understand is that the Middle East is not like a game of Risk with different pieces on the board representing different leaders or terror groups. There are multiple warring tribes of Islamists in all of these countries, and in places like Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, there really is no “country” to speak of. The State Department said yesterday, “We are standing with the Iraqi people.” But who are those people? Which ones? On behalf of which government over which territory that can be held, and in what way?

To recognize that the Baghdadi government is an enemy of the United States is to acknowledge that not only was the Iraq war a mistake, but that its outcome was a boon for Iran. The same failed generals and civilian leaders who led us into this are not going to readily admit that. Trump himself must finally rectify these mistakes and make this coming decade an America-first decade, where we only fight and die for our own interests at our own border and for strategic assets elsewhere. It’s time to fight to our own strengths rather than to the strengths of our enemies. (For more from the author of “Attack on U.S. Embassy in Baghdad Exposes the Farce of Our Support for the Baghdad Government” please click HERE)

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‘No More Mercy’: 1,500 Iranians Killed in Crackdown on Protesters

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By Washington Examiner. New numbers reported by three Iranian interior ministry officials paint a picture of the magnitude of last month’s fuel hike protests in the country.

Close to 1,500 protesters are said to have been murdered in what marks the bloodiest political shakedown since the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

Mounting economic despair and a surprise November fuel price hike, which increased gas prices by as much as 200%, led Iranians to demonstrate, with early death estimates far lower than what was reported on Monday.

In response to the economy and the new fuel tax, protesters filed onto the streets in more than 100 cities and towns. They burned images of Iranian leader Ali Khamenei and called for the return of Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the former shah of Iran.

The Department of State told Reuters that they estimated hundreds had died during the protests but included that the number could be over 1,000. (Read more from “‘No More Mercy’: 1,500 Iranians Killed in Crackdown on Protesters” HERE)

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Iran Spending $24.5 Million per Day to Crush Dissent in the Country

By The Jerusalem Post. As Iran suppressed protests that spread throughout the country, Radio Farda reported that the Islamic Republic has been spending $24.5 million per day to crush dissent and suppress protests throughout the year.

Protests affected over 100 cities since November, with security forces using violent measures against the demonstrators, including lethal force.

According to the report, Iran has spent $9 billion on various sectors of the security service this fiscal year, which includes the intelligence ministry, police, Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and paramilitary Basij, the latter often used to crush popular dissent.

The report also detailed the recent growth of the Iranian security forces budget, rising from $3.1 billion since the start of Hassan Rouhani’s presidency in 2013, to $5.7 billion by the sixth year of his term.

The $9 billion budget this year comes amid a deepening economic crisis in the country, combined with a marked decline in Iran’s oil exports of 213,000 barrels per day. (Read more from “Iran Spending $24.5 Million per Day to Crush Dissent in the Country” HERE)

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U.S. Officials Warn of Uncontrollable Escalation With Iran in Iraq

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US military officials have escalated their warnings to Iran that a military conflict could be looming between the countries in Iraq due to incessant attacks on US-linked targets blamed on Tehran-backed militias. . .

Washington has expressed mounting concern about the flurry of attacks on US bases and diplomatic missions, several of which it has blamed on Shiite militia groups trained by its foe and rival for influence Tehran.

Tensions between Iran and the US have soared since Washington pulled out of a landmark nuclear agreement with Tehran last year and reimposed crippling sanctions.

Baghdad — which is close to both countries and whose many security forces have been trained by either the US or Iran — is worried about being caught in the middle. . .

A senior official was quoted Wednesday by the Reuters news agency as warning the escalation could become uncontrollable and that “no one will like the outcome.” (Read more from “U.S. Officials Warn of Uncontrollable Escalation With Iran in Iraq” HERE)

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Reports: Iran Is Secretly Transporting Missiles Into Iraq That May Have Nuclear Capability

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Iran has been taking advantage of recent political unrest in Iraq by secretly stockpiling short-range missiles inside the country, the New York Times reported Wednesday.

The buildup is a part of Iran’s widening effort to assert dominance in the Middle East and could pose a threat to American troops and American allies in the region such as Israel and Saudi Arabia, U.S. sources told the Times.

Both Iraq and Iran have been gripped by deadly protests in recent months, with more than 1,000 people reported dead as a result of protests in Iran. But public unrest has not seemed to slow Iranian leadership down from engaging in what the Times calls a “shadow war.”

Iran has been attacking countries in the Middle East of late but disguising the origin to diminish the chances of counterattacks. Iran’s stockpiling of missiles in Iraq also serves as a strategic deterrent. If Iran were to face an attack, it could potentially strike back with the missiles stored outside its borders.

The short-range missiles have an estimated range of 600 miles and thus are capable of reaching Jerusalem from outside Baghdad.

The same day that the news broke, a letter was released from the French, German, and British ambassadors to the United Nations alleging that Iran now has nuclear-capable missiles.

According to CNN, in the letter, “the ambassadors listed four examples of activity indicating nuclear-capable missiles, adding that ‘Iran’s developments of nuclear-capable ballistic missiles and related technologies is inconsistent’ with a UN resolution restraining the country from doing so.”

The U.N. resolution the letter cites endorsed the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which President Trump pulled the U.S. out of in 2018 but which is still supported by the U.K., France, Germany, China, and Russia.

The letter cited footage of a flight test for a new Shahab-3 ballistic missile — which has a range of about 600 miles as mentioned above — equipped with a maneuverable re-entry vehicle that makes it “technically capable” of delivering a nuclear weapon.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has denied the allegation on social media.

These moves come amid a growing presence of U.S. military in the Middle East. Approximately 14,000 troops have been sent to the region since May, and reports Wednesday said that the Trump administration is considering sending 14,000 more, though the Pentagon has denied the claim. (For more from the author of “Reports: Iran Is Secretly Transporting Missiles Into Iraq That May Have Nuclear Capability” please click HERE)

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Video and 15 Photos from the #Iranprotests You Will Never See in Our Deranged, Anti-Trump Media (Caution: Graphic Content)

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You wouldn’t know it to read and listen to our singularly focused media — who have devoted their entire energies over the last three years to removing President Trump from office — but Iran is exploding as its youth have finally had enough. An entire generation, without economic opportunity, is now rising up against its oppressors.

Please note, some graphic content is below the fold. Also, some translations are from Farsi. Original names have been largely omitted in order to shield individuals from the Iranian terror regime.

(Warning: Graphic Content)

At least 4 detainees have been tortured in Rajaii Shahr Prison at least # detainees. The detainees are beaten every morning and evening in the prison with batons and whips. A group of them were told during the interrogation by IRGC officers that they would be “executed”…

The hashtag #IranLightsOff is being used to try to draw attention to this significant set of events in Iran by legacy media, who can’t stop attacking Trump to report the actual news.

Here, IRGC terrorists appear to be publicly removing hands and feet from protesters:

A body recovered after being tortured and killed by the IRGC:

More than a quarter of those who attempted to break the siege and deliver food to nearby towns were killed. One of the dead who was most influential was Hamza al-Khatib, a 5-year-old who was arrested in Deraa. His body was marked by the effects of torture, burns and bullets, and his penis was severed.

Torture of citizens detained in Shiraz by IRGC…

“Confessions” recorded by the Iranian terror regime; this individual’s “confession” reportedly ocurred after threats and torture; “Many of those who were killed or arrested were one like this guy. A youth from the lower class who has no future for himself and is not making a living.”

Fashafuyeh Prison is the largest prison in Tehran. Thousands of those arrested are reportedly being held in the prison. Two days ago, there was an urgent news that the prisoners had begged for help. It is said that there is a lot of torture here.

Thinking for a moment at # Intelligence Ministry’s secret detention centers under torture How many girls and boys are screaming and waking up? It was their crime to knit their fists because of a bankrupt economy and a ruined youth!

Security guards in the suburb of Hamid Sheikhani, one of the detainees, handed over his recent protests to his family. Married and with a 5-year-old son, he was healthy at the time of his arrest, and his death means he died of torture.

At least 1 killed, 1 injured and 4 arrested during Iran’s #russels … Those arrested are now at risk of torture … The UN Security Council should send investigative missions to the dead and injured and prisoners to Iran.

With the devotees of the Road to Freedom in November. Greetings to the martyrs, the ransom of the rebellious cities of Iran for the angel of freedom. Greetings to hearts full of passion and love that stopped moving until the heart of the uprising for freedom continued to beat.

Funeral for the Liberals of the Road to Freedom in Nasiriyah, Iraq. Yesterday, more than 5 people were killed by the Revolutionary Guards in Nasiriyah, but gunmen took to the streets and captured the city less than six hours ago.

A protester being detained and shipped off to parts unknown.

A newly acquired video from Khorramshahr shows the horrific moments when state security forces shot and killed 16-year-old Khaled Ghazlawi during #IranProtests #Iran

And this is the same regime that President Obama allowed $150 billion to flow to, including sending a palette of $1.5 billion in cash, without Congressional approval or authorization.

Hat tip: BadBlue News, my 24 x 7 replacement for Drudge.

(For more from the author of “15 Photos from the #Iranprotests You Will Never See in Our Deranged, Anti-Trump Media (Caution: Graphic Content)” please click HERE)

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Iran Warns U.S., Allies: ‘We Will Destroy You’

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The head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard on Monday threatened to destroy the United States and its Middle Eastern allies, accusing them during a televised speech of instigating violent protests that erupted earlier this month after the announcement of massive fuel price hikes.

Speaking to tens of thousands of people holding signs with anti-U.S. slogans in Tehran’s Revolution Square, Gen. Hossein Salami accused the U.S., Britain, Saudi Arabia and Israel of fueling the deadly unrest.

“We have shown restraint. … We have shown patience towards the hostile moves of America, the Zionist regime (Israel) and Saudi Arabia against the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he said. “If you cross our red line, we will destroy you. We will not leave any move unanswered.”

The protests against a massive rise in fuel prices and a slash in government subsidies have further divided many Iranians and their religious regime. The country has seen an economic decline since the U.S. restored sanctions after withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal negotiated during the Obama administration.

Many have complained of the inability to obtain jobs, travel abroad and soaring food prices and the cost of living. Some Iranians have seen their once middle-class lifestyle reduced to day-to-day struggles to stay afloat. (Read more from “Iran Warns U.S., Allies: ‘We Will Destroy You'” HERE)

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Iranian National in America Caught Sending High-Tech Trade Secrets to… Iran

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Nearly a decade after 9/11, a veteran of Iran’s military was able to secure a green card, land a job with an aerospace contractor, and transmit trade secrets to his brother working on Iran’s nuclear weapons program. That is the disturbing takeaway from a 14-page indictment against Amin Hasanzadeh, a legal permanent resident from Iran, which was unsealed in a Michigan federal court last week.

According to the criminal complaint from the FBI, Hasanzadeh, 42, stole documents and technical data from the aerospace contractor where he was employed and emailed them to his brother Sina, who was working for companies that contribute to Iran’s cruise missile and nuclear weapons programs. He is also accused of lying on his immigration documents and concealing the fact that he was in the Iranian military. In addition to serving in Iran’s military, Amin also worked for an Iranian company that services Iran’s weapons programs prior to his emigration.

Shockingly, without any circumspection, Hasanzadeh was given a student visa in December 2010 and granted a green card in 2013 without any concern that his background in engineering and his plan to work on sensitive defense contractor projects here could compromise our national security and trade secrets.

From 2011 to 2013, he worked for Florida State University’s Center for Advanced Power Systems, a cleared defense contractor, “where he specialized in developing power electronics computer designs, modeling and simulation.” On January 12, 2015, Hasanzadeh obtained employment at an unnamed aerospace company (referred to as “Victim Company A” in the complaint) as a hardware engineer. Within six days of employment, according to the complaint, he began transmitting sensitive information though his personal email to his Iranian brother, a practice that continued through June 2016. The FBI believes, based on prior email correspondence with Sina, that Amin sought out this job for the very purpose of handing over this information. He allegedly sent drawings and schematics marked “confidential” that, according to company officials, “were critical to the development and use of one of Victim Company A’s most important projects.”

In 2014, he married an unnamed person of interest (referred to as “Person A” in the complaint) who herself came here as one of the many Iranian foreign students the year before. Amin is accused of sending her information as well. “Investigation revealed the existence of thousands of Victim Company A documents in Person A’s cloud storage that is associated with her University of Michigan email account,” read the complaint, which was signed on October 31. The Iranian spouse eventually overstayed her visa and is in the country illegally while she is attempting to apply for a green card.

What we have here are two individuals brought to the U.S. as Iranian students a decade after 9/11 who had suspicious backgrounds and came to study and work in highly technical fields. We’ve been in a de facto state of war with Iran since 1979, yet we’ve brought in 222,000 Iranian nationals on green cards from 2001 to 2018. There are currently 12,800 Iranian foreign students in this country, and we’ve brought in tens of thousands in recent years. How on earth can we trust the vetting for espionage or terrorism with this many people? When in our past history have we ever brought in so many immigrants from a country with which we have hostile relations? Immigration serves as the easiest conduit for them to advance their asymmetrical warfare against us.

“DHS needs to open an examination of how this happened and implement additional steps to improve the vetting,” warned Jessica Vaughan, who has studied immigration and national security at the Center for Immigration Studies for decades. “This case illustrates the inherent vulnerabilities in an open immigration system that fails to apply risk management principles and treats every applicant as if they were harmless, or even beneficial, to our country, especially if they come under the guise of a student or work visa. Certainly, some of the problems have been corrected under Trump’s new vetting standards, but there is no doubt more can be done, as we learn from every case.”

Thankfully, Trump shut off most visas and green cards from Iran, a policy whose time clearly could not have come soon enough. But there are so many other countries of concern from the Middle East and China that are not on the moratorium list and from which we bring in a tremendous number of immigrants and foreign students.

Vaughan points out that more stringent rules for Iranians seeking entry were implemented at the end of the Obama administration, after Hasanzadeh and his wife were admitted, but “Iranian-American advocacy groups expressed vehement opposition” to those changes. In 2016, Congress passed a law requiring nationals of Iran, Iraq, and countries on the terrorist sponsor list to obtain visas before entering the U.S., even if they are coming from a visa waiver country. Vaughan testified before Congress that the Obama administration granted waivers from these requirements, clearly against the intent of the statute.

“This case illustrates why they were necessary – even if a little late. We cannot continue to let the higher education industry and business interests exert so much influence over our admission and vetting policies, because they are in self-interested denial about the threat we face.”

After all, immigration policy is the first and most important line of defense against the asymmetrical warfare our enemies wage upon us every day. Iranian nationals aren’t the only potential threats to our homeland emanating from the mullahs. Lebanon, which is essentially controlled by Hezbollah, is a client state of Iran. Over 60,000 Lebanese have been granted green cards since 9/11, and the country is still not on the travel ban list. In September, the DOJ indicted Alexei Saab, a Lebanese national working for Hezbollah’s clandestine “Unit 910,” for surveilling targets in America. He successfully naturalized while he was flying back to Lebanon on numerous occasions to receive commando training with Hezbollah.

Last year, Todd Bensman, a former intel and counterterrorism official, wrote a three-part series on the threat of Unit 910 operatives immigrating here in light of the trials of Samer El Debek in Michigan and Ali Kourani in New York, who both had backgrounds and Hezbollah training similar to Saab’s.

Then there is the Sunni terrorist threat through immigration as well. Last month, Naif Alfallaj, spouse of a foreign student from Saudi Arabia, was sentenced on terrorism charges after it was revealed that he trained in the very same al Qaeda camp in Afghanistan that the 9/11 hijackers attended. He entered the country on a visa for the purpose of attending flight school!

Let’s not forget that although the Saudi government now has better relations with the U.S., many of the people living in Saudi Arabia are still sympathetic to the jihadists. While the Trump administration has clearly done a better job vetting these people and has shut off migration from a few countries, the flow is still too great to confidently weed out threats of terrorism, espionage, and cultural subversion through the immigration system.

There’s no point in combatting them there if we are going to bring their operatives to our shores. (For more from the author of “Iranian National in America Caught Sending High-Tech Trade Secrets to… Iran” please click HERE)

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Six Middle Eastern Countries Join the U.S. in Sanctions Against Hezbollah-Linked Iranian Financial Network

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Six Middle Eastern countries have joined the U.S. in sanctioning an Iranian financial network linked to the Iranian military and Hezbollah, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said Wednesday.

Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and U.S. are all part of the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center (TFTC), “a collaborative approach to confronting new and evolving threats arising from terrorist financing,” according to the Treasury Department.

Mnuchin said in a Wednesday statement that he is meeting with officials “from across the region” during his tour of the Middle East to “bolster the fight against terrorist financing” through the TFTC, which was created in May 2017.

“It is a bold effort to expand and strengthen the cooperation amongst seven countries … to counter the financing of terrorism. The TFTC coordinates disruptive actions, shares financial intelligence information, and builds member state capacity to target activities posing national security threats to TFTC members,” Mnuchin continued.

U.S. officials view the collaboration as crucial to continue President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, the fifth largest oil producer in the world, according to The Wall Street Journal. (Read more from “Six Middle Eastern Countries Join the U.S. in Sanctions Against Hezbollah-Linked Iranian Financial Network” HERE)

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Report: This Could Possibly Be the U.S. Response to Saudi Oil Attacks (VIDEO)

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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared Iran’s attacks on Saudi Arabia last weekend to be “an act of war” on Sunday, suggesting that the United States is willing to significantly ramp up its aggression towards Iran.

Pompeo’s remarks came in response to Iran launching attacks against Saudi oil sites, which knocked out 5% of the global oil supply. Fox News reported that U.S. officials indicated that “Iranian cruise missiles and drones were both used in the attack on the two Saudi Arabian oil facilities, and that they were fired from inside southwest Iran.”

Pompeo told CBS News’ “Face The Nation” that it was “a sophisticated attack” and that “the United States will respond in a way that reflects that act of war by this Iranian revolutionary regime.”

“This was an attack by Iran on the world. This was an act of war,” Pompeo continued, noting that it was “the largest attack on the global energy supply I think in all of recorded history.”

Pompeo told host Margaret Brennan that the U.S. is prepared to respond in a way that “reflects that act of war by this Iranian revolutionary regime” and “we’re prepared to do the things we need to do to try to deter Iran from this kind of behavior.”

(Read more from “Report: This Could Possibly Be the U.S. Response to Saudi Oil Attacks” HERE)

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