Trump Says Iran Is Planning ‘Sneak Attack’ And Warns Country Will Face ‘Heavy Price’

Topline: President Trump accused Iran of plotting a “sneak attack” on U.S. troops and assets in Iraq, in a Tweet sent just after 1 p.m. on Wednesday, and warned the country could face a “heavy price” if it follows through, in an abrupt rekindling of tensions with Iran that had settled in recent weeks amid the backdrop of the coronavirus crisis.

• Trump tweeted: “Upon information and belief, Iran or its proxies are planning a sneak attack on U.S. troops and/or assets in Iraq. If this happens, Iran will pay a very heavy price, indeed!” 
• The tweet comes amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran that have traded verbal jabs for months after a U.S. targeted attack killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani and nearly brought the two countries to the brink of war back in January. 
• “Upon information and belief, Iran or its proxies are planning a sneak attack on U.S. troops and/or assets in Iraq,” Trump said in his tweet. “If this happens, Iran will pay a very heavy price, indeed!”
• Iran-backed militias have been conducting air strikes on U.S. military bases that have ramped up in recent weeks, according to the Washington Post, but it remains unclear how much control Iran has over these rebel groups. 
• Trump, for his part, did not elaborate on what the “price” would be. 
• The U.S. has been slowly dialing back its presence aimed at countering the Islamic State in neighboring Iraq. 

Tangent: The tweet also comes as both countries are embroiled in a crisis of their own: the coronavirus pandemic. Iran and the U.S. are some of the hardest hit countries in the world from the virus that has killed over 43,000 worldwide. 

The U.S. has recorded more than 189,000 COVID-19 cases and 4,000 deaths. Iran has reported more than 47,000 cases and more than 3,000 deaths. However, as the New York Times notes, public health experts Iran’s case count is likely much higher.

Iran rebuffed Trump’s offer for aid to help handle the pandemic last month, as the Times also reported.

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