Wed 08 January 2019:
Iran has fired more than a dozen rockets at two Iraqi military bases hosting US troops, the Pentagon confirmed.
The rockets fired at the Ain al-Asad base in Anbar province and a base in Erbil early on Wednesday came amid escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran following the US killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in Iraq last week. Iran had pledged severe retailiation.
Here are all of the latest updates as of Wednesday, January 8:
Iraqi oil facilities secure: OPEC
Iraqi oil facilities are secured and the country’s production is continuing, OPEC’s Secretary General Mohammed Barkindo.
“It’s a big relief that the facilities continue to be secured in Iraq, the production is continuing and effective,” Barkindo said on the sidelines of a conference in Abu Dhabi.
He said he was optimistic Iraq would reach 100 percent compliance with OPEC cuts in time, despite current tensions.
In a message to US President Donald Trump, Barkindo said the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) alone could not shoulder the responsibility of maintaining a stable oil market.
Britain condemns attack on military bases
Britain condemned the attacks on military bases in Iraq that hosted US-led coalition forces including British personnel.
“We condemn this attack on Iraqi military bases hosting Coalition – including British – forces,” British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said.
“We urge Iran not to repeat these reckless and dangerous attacks, and instead to pursue urgent de-escalation.”
Emirates Airline cancels Baghdad flight
Dubai-based Emirates Airline cancelled a return flight to Baghdad.
“We are carefully monitoring the developments and are in close contact with the relevant government authorities with regards to our flight operations, and will make further operational changes if required,” Emirates said in a statement.
Its sister carrier, FlyDubai, also cancelled a flight to Baghdad.
Iran’s president to deliver speech
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will deliver a speech on Wednesday, Iranian state television reported.
No Iraqi casualties in 22-missile attack overnight: military
The Iraqi military said in a statement that 22 missiles were launched on the Ain al-Asad air base and a base in Erbil between 1:45am and 2:15am, but there were no casualties among Iraqi forces.
It said two of the 17 missiles targeting Ain al-Asad base did not go off.
The five on Erbil all targeted coalition headquarters.
Norway says none of its troops injured or killed
No Norwegian troops were injured or killed in the attack on the Al-Asad air base in Iraq, a Norwegian military spokesman told Reuters news agency.
The country has about 70 soldiers at the base, said Brynjar Stordal at Norway’s military headquarters.
Denmark says none of its soldiers wounded or killed
The Danish armed forces said in a Twitter post none of its soldiers were wounded or killed in the missile strike on the Al-Asad airbase.
Denmark has about 130 soldiers at the base as part of the international coalition fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) armed group.
80 ‘US terrorists’ killed in attack: Iranian state TV
Iranian state television claimed that at least 80 “American terrorists” were killed in attacks involving 15 missiles Tehran launched on US targets in Iraq, adding that none of the missiles were intercepted. The claim could not be independently verified and the state television did not provide evidence of how it obtained that information.
Citing a senior Revolutionary Guards Corps source, the state television also said Iran had 100 other targets in the region in its sights if Washington took any retaliatory measures.
It also said US helicopters and military equipment were “severely damaged”.
India issues travel warning on Iraq
India issued a travel warning asking its citizens to avoid “non-essential” travel to Iraq.
“In view of the prevailing situation in Iraq, Indian nationals are advised to avoid all non-essential travel to Iraq until further notification,” India’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
“Indian nationals residing in Iraq are advised to be alert and may avoid travel within Iraq,” it said, adding that the Indian embassy in Baghdad and consulate in Erbil remain operational.
Pakistan warns citizens to ‘exercise maximum caution’
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised Pakistan citizens planning to visit Iraq to “exercise maximum caution”.
Those already in Iraq are advised to remain in close contact with Pakistan’s embassy in Baghdad.
IRGC threatens attacks on Dubai and Haifa if Washington retaliates
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned on their Telegram channel that in the event that Iranian soil is bombed, they would launch a third wave of attacks to destroy Dubai and Haifa.
Oil surges, stocks fall after Iran attack
Oil prices surged after the Iran attack on US forces in Iraq, raising the prospect of a regional conflagration that could disrupt oil supplies. Stocks fell sharply.
Brent crude futures soared $1.83, or 2.7 percent, to $70.10 by about 01:48 GMT, after earlier rising to $71.75, the highest since mid-September 2019.
The price of gold also shot higher, rising 1.91 percent on the spot market to $1,603.93 per ounce ($30,161.88 per gramme) as investors rushed for safe-haven investments.
“We’ve moved on from how Iran will respond to now anticipating the US 52-pronged response as the US military forces in the region are in a heightened state of alert while likely preparing for war,” said Stephen Innes, strategist at AxiTrader. “It’s not going to be pretty today.”
-AL Jazeera News Agency
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