Iranian Military Leaders Promise "Big Operation" Of Revenge
GORANI: The U.S. President is making good on his threats to punish Iran's economy. His administration is hoping new sanctions announced a few hours ago will deal a billion dollar blow to Tehran. But that's not stopping Iran's military leaders from seeking further revenge for General Qassem Soleimani's death. Brian Todd explains.</s>BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A top commander in Iran's notorious, Revolutionary Guards, vowing Iran will exact, quote, harsher revenge on the United States following the missile attacks on American positions in Iraq. Another Iranian general saying Iran's covert war against America is nowhere near over.</s>GEN. AMIR ALI HAJIZADEH, IRANIAN ISLAMIC REVOLUTIONARY GUARD CORPS (through translator): This, indeed, was the beginning of the big operation, an action that, God willing, will continue.</s>TODD (voice-over): America's top military commander has sounded the alarm himself, warning of further retribution for the killing of Iranian General, Qasem Soleimani.</s>GEN. MARK MILLEY, CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: I and those of us in uniform and those in theater fully expect Shia militia groups to conduct terrorist operations against U.S. forces and coalition forces in Iraq and perhaps even elsewhere.</s>TODD (voice-over): From the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, similar warnings about the capabilities of Iran and its lethal proxy forces, like Hezbollah, the Lebanon-based organization designated a terrorist group by the U.S. and several other Western nations.</s>MATTHEW LEVITT, WASHINGTON INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY: Hezbollah has operatives in -- both in the United States and in Canada, and South America, as well. And they have the capability to do surveillance, and they have the capability to carry out attacks.</s>TODD (voice-over): In a new bulletin, FBI and Homeland Security officials say there's no specific threat at the moment, but that operatives accused of working for Iran and Hezbollah have been arrested in recent years inside the U.S. conducting surveillance of military and law enforcement facilities, critical infrastructure, public landmarks, and Jewish centers. Hezbollah has been supported financially and logistically by Iran and specifically by Qasem Soleimani for decades. But analysts say the group also operates like a mafia family.</s>LEVITT: Hezbollah also has a much larger logistical, financial, criminal network around the world, including in the United States. The majority of their operatives here will be involved in credit card fraud, in mortgage fraud, in all kinds of different criminal schemes to raise funds.</s>TODD (voice-over): And Hezbollah is adept at revenge attacks. After the killing of one of its top commanders, it was believed to have bombed Israel's embassy in Buenos Aires in 1992, killing nearly 30 people. An attack two years later at a Jewish community center in the same city killed 85 people. And U.S. officials accused Hezbollah of acting on behalf of Iran in the 1983 truck bombing of the U.S. Marine compound in Beirut, killing 241 American service members. Iran denied involvement, but terrorism experts say the attack benefited the regime in Tehran.</s>PAUL BERGEN, AUTHOR, "TRUMP AND HIS GENERALS": We, the United States, did not really respond to that, other than just a withdrawal from Lebanon. So it was a huge success as far as Iran and Hezbollah was concerned, they got us out.</s>TODD (on-camera): Experts point out that Iran and its proxies are not invisible in carrying out plots against the U.S. In fact, some of their more recent operations on U.S. soil have either been foiled or simply failed. And the chairman of the Joints Chief of Staff says that with Qassem Soleimani no longer around, some of the training, the weapons and other support for those proxies could be compromised, but experts say those groups still have plenty of capability and certainly now the motive to hit the U.S. somehow. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.</s>GORANI: It has been a wild roll rollercoaster of a week, to say the least. And it's not over yet. Let's talk it over with Hassan Hassan. He's the director of the Non-State Actors Program at the Center for Global Policy, and he joins me live from Washington. So, Hassan, as we are -- it's Friday. So it's the end of the workweek, anyway, in the western world. What should we make of what just happened in the last few days? Who's come out as perhaps on top? The U.S., Iran, any other non-state actor? How do you see things?</s>HASSAN HASSAN, DIRECTOR OF THE NON-STATE ACTORS PROGRAM AT THE CENTER FOR GLOBAL POLICY: Well, I think there's no doubt that the U.S. has come on the top, and over the past week. You have to remember this is a, you know, part of a long series of back and forth between the United States and Iran. If you remember over the past six, seven months, Iran conducted a few attacks that had no response from the United States, and this is really kind of establishing a new turn. And I think despite what happened over the past few one week of like alarmism of Iran's supposed retaliation inside Iraq, I think moving forward, Iran has got the message that the U.S. is serious about rolling back and kind of having a new policy towards Tehran, at least under Trump.</s>GORANI: But then ultimately, Iraq is going to ask U.S. forces to leave. The sphere of influence of Iran hasn't changed as a result of this, has it?</s>HASSAN: Yes, absolutely. This is the most important -- if it happens, I think it would be the heaviest blow to the U.S. policy if the U.S. is driven out of Iraq. I don't think that's going to happen realistically, looking on what's at stake for the United States and for the -- even for the Europeans. The United States will, as we saw in Syria a few months ago, and Trump said we're going to leave and then the dynamics really kind of forced him to change his mind. The same will play out in Iraq. I think the tone today from the Department of State is that we're not going to leave Iraq. And if we are forced out of Iraq, Iraq will pay a heavy price in terms of economic, military, and security support for the United States. So they really were saying this is part of a package deal. If we leave, Iraq will suffer. And I think that -- the Iraqis will get the message.</s>GORANI: But you sound like you're saying that Donald Trump played his cards right here.</s>HASSAN: I do think so. I think -- I think two things happened. One is that the U.S. hands were forced to take the action. Remember, the events just before the killing of Soleimani, the U.S. embassy in Baghdad was being stormed by the Iranian proxies but also by -- under the orders of Qassem Soleimani. A few days before that, the U.S. civilian contractor was killed under the orders of Qassem Soleimani. So a response was at least seen as a necessary to stop that cycle. But also --</s>GORANI: Because -- but as you -- sorry, go ahead. No. I was just going to say, his critics said listen, this is super reckless, because here you go. You killed the most important military commander Iran has on Iraqi soil. The domino effect is unpredictable. You're playing with fire. That this was not -- that this was kind of shooting from the hip. That was kind of the criticism level that Trump -- that it wasn't a coherent strategy, and that if it turned out in the U.S.'s favor, it was purely accidental.</s>HASSAN: No, absolutely. I think it was not accidental. I think it was -- I don't expect Iran to do anything for the U.S. I think Iran has a small menu of options when it comes to retaliating against the United States. Remember, the U.S. doesn't have heavy footprint inside Iraq. It can protect itself. But that's a legitimate concern, because -- and that's really why previous administrations didn't take that action against Qassem Soleimani despite the fact that it has been considered over and over before. But I think two things -- like I said, the U.S. hands were, at least partly, forced in this case.</s>GORANI: Yes. And quickly, a word on the sanctions, because the strategy of the United States, if it has a clearly defined one, is maximum pressure. I mean, they've said it explicitly. We're going to make them suffer until they have no choice but to come to the table and abide by our terms. I mean, is that wishful thinking? It doesn't seem Iran's game for that at all.</s>HASSAN: You see, I think this is all part of the story. The reason why Iran has been lashing out at the United States and allies like the Saudi Arabia, even the UAE and the Gulf, the Persian Gulf, is because of the maximum pressure. Iran has been feeling the pressure, and is lashing out because it's becoming more and more anxious because the U.S. is imposing more and more bites and sanctions against Iran, but also taking action, military, kinetic action against Iranian militias inside Syria as well as inside Iraq. So Iran is suddenly feeling this administration is taking a whole new level, and we have to respond at some point. So they -- and they said it, I think Khomeini he said, the Supreme Leader of Iran said this is an economic war against us, so we have to respond. So that pressure led to the episode over the past few weeks, and past week. And I think the result of that, the outcome, in my opinion, is that Iran now feels that it has to stop trying to escalate against the United States. And they're going to go back to revert to their old traditional ways of doing business which is proxy wars and trying to evade sanctions and so on and so forth.</s>GORANI: Hassan Hassan, thanks very much.</s>HASSAN: Thank you.</s>GORANI: Always appreciate having you on the program. Can you imagine five months of no internet? That is the reality for people in Kashmir after more than 150 days, the people of Kashmir might be closer to getting their internet access back though. India Supreme Court has given the government one week to review the suspension. Kashmir has been under an internet blackout since mid-august when the Indian government exerted greater authority over the disputed region. An internet advocacy watchdogs has the blackout in Kashmir is the longest ever imposed by a democracy. Still to come tonight, growing outrage in Australia as thousands of activists demand the government, do more to fight against wildfires. We'll be right back.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The scientists predicted this.