The Yankee Imperialist War of Aggression on Iran – Day 22
Featured image: The remains of the medical center in Bourj Qalaway, Lebanon, where 12 medics were murdered in an airstrike. Source: Shutterstock
As the Yankee imperialist war of aggression on Iran moves into its fourth week, the US have targeted the Iranian Natanz nuclear enrichment facility in further escalations in the targeting of energy and economic infrastructure in Iran. Iran is defending itself by retaliating against US and Israeli targets throughout the region. The lackey Israel is committing further war crimes in its murderous aggression against Lebanon, as Hezbollah also continues their struggle against Israel by launching several military actions.
In yet another attack on Iran’s energy and economic infrastructure, Yankee imperialism has attacked the Natanz Iranian nuclear enrichment facility, endangering civilian life in the entire country. The International Atomic Energy Agency has called for restraint in the targeting of nuclear facilities, and reports that Iran has contacted them and let them know that “no increase in off-site radiation levels” has been reported.
Iraq’s intelligence headquarters in the capital Baghdad have been targeted by a drone strike by resistance combatants. According to security sources, the communications building housed an Iraqi security agency that works with the US in Iraq, and one officer was eliminated.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have announced the launch of its 70th wave of “Operation True Promise 4” (OTP-4), targeting according to their statement more than 55 locations, including bases in Al-Kharj, Al-Dhafra, Ali Al-Salem, and Erbil, in addition to the US Fifth Fleet.
The operation also reportedly focused on areas within Israel, including in Haifa and Tel Aviv, with strikes reported in locations including Khdeira, Kiryat Ono, Savyon, and Ben Ami.
Reports indicate that the UK military base on Diego Garcia, recently approved by the UK for use in striking Iranian targets in the US war of aggression, have been targeted in strikes. Damage to the base is so far unclear.
Israel continues its war crimes in Lebanon with the escalation in the targeting of medical facilities and health care workers. Israel conducted a “double-tap-strike” on health care workers responding to an earlier attack in southern Lebanon, targeting three Islamic Health Committee vehicles in the Nabetieh district. The first strike injured at least 21 people, and the second strike, targeting rescue teams arriving at the scene, wounded 9 health care workers.
Hezbollah’s Military Media announced in a statement 31 new military operations “in defense of Lebanon and it’s people,”, targeting the Israeli settlements of Shlomi, Kiryat Shmona, Yiftah, Shomera, Ya’ra, Mattat, Ramot Naftali, Hanita, Netu’a, Zar’it, and Avivim. Several military bases were alos targeted by rocket salvos.
Trump announced on social media that they are considering “winding down” military operations against Iran, and that “we are getting very close to meeting our objectives,”. An Iranian official rejects these claims, stating: “Contrary to Trump’s claims of a reduction in military activity in the region, Iran has no such estimate and concludes that the enemy’s military posture in the region hasn’t changed significantly,”.
These statements seem also to contradict the material realities of the deployments in the region, as the US is currently deploying further troops, with around 7,500 Marine troops, including warships, currently in transit. Reports indicate the deployment of these troops could be used in plans of conducting a ground invasion of key Iranian economic targets in the region, like Kharg Island. Strikes were conducted by Yankee imperialism a week ago, taking out the military capacities on the island, likely in preparation for this potential ground invasion.
US Military officials have voiced concern over the military feasibility of such an action, as it would involve great risk for the invading troops. Kharg island sits only 25 km outside of Iran’s coastline, and Iran has time and again shown that they’re capable of launching precise strikes over much greater distances. The discussion of plans like this marks yet another desperate attempt from Yankee imperialism to secure any semblance of a victory in a war of aggression marked so far by war crimes, military failures and imperial arrogance.
The premise of this plan is also being questioned, as even if the US managed to seize the oil refinery on Kharg Island, they would not seize the oil production of Iran, only limit it. One military official in an interview with Axios stated that “If we seize Kharg Island, they’re going to turn off the spigot on the other end. It’s not like we control their oil production,”.
In a blatant contradiction to the pronounced plan of crippling Iran economically, sanctions have been lifted by the US on 140 million barrels of Iranian oil already in transit, in another act of desperation on behalf of Yankee imperialism to stabilize the price of oil and to raise the supply. This has had little to no effect on the price, as the Brent crude oil benchmark has remained at around 112 USD per barrel.
In a report from bourgeois think tank Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) analyzing the cost of the Yankee imperialist war of aggression using data from the Department of Defense’s report on military expenditure, an estimate was made that the first 6 days of the war cost US imperialism around 11,3 billion USD. CSIS further estimates that the first 12 days of the war cost US imperialism 16,5 billion USD, making it highly likely that the amount at this point, 10 days later, has exceeded the 20 billion USD mark.
In a report from the Modern War Institute at West Point, estimates are being made that the US defense industry may be approaching a major production crisis. They highlight that the closure of the strait of Hormuz does not only affect the export of oil and gas, but also a more overlooked resource, namely sulfur. Nearly 50% of the global seaborne sulfur flow moves through the strait of Hormuz, meaning that industries relying on this flow will in perspective come to a grinding halt.
One such industry is the US defense industry, where sulfuric acid is used in a wide variety of completely essential products and components, used for the refinement of nickel and cobalt, but especially in the refinement of copper, used for everything from the production of semi-conductors in precision-guided munitions to the US electrical grid. The West Point report concludes that “The Hormuz crisis is teaching Washington that the decisive vulnerability is often not limited availability of final products. A threat to US military readiness can come from obscure reagent that makes critical materials to be extracted—and weapons to be built—in the first place.”
On Saturday, March 21, dozens of social movements and organizations have called for a unified demonstration under the slogan “No to War.” The demonstration begins at 7:00 p.m at the Town Hall Square in Valencia, Servir al Pueblo reports.
Anti-imperialist Action Ireland participated in a demonstration outside the US embassy to denounce the Yankee imperialist war of aggression on Iran.
