U.S. Ambivalent Over IS-K Iran Attack
Michael Hughes
January 6, 2024
Elements within the U.S. political and military establishment long shared with the Islamic State a common foe: Iran. More specifically, Qassem Soleimani, the ex-Quds Force chief assassinated by the U.S. on January 3, 2020 whose memorial service IS-K attacked earlier this week. One need not be a conspiracy theorist to submit that power players in Washington had mixed feelings over the deadly terrorist attack in Iran’s Kerman that left almost 100 dead. Just listen to the person who coordinated the drone strike that killed Soleimani: ex-CENTCOM commander Kenneth McKenzie.
In a tone-deaf op-ed published the day after the bomb blasts, the retired U.S. general argued that the Trump administration had to take out the Quds Force leader as a means of “deterrence.” He claimed Iranian leaders operate under Lenin’s dictum: “You probe with bayonets: if you find mush, you push. If you find steel, you withdraw.” And the Iranians, according to McKenzie, “understand steel.” He also bemoaned the fact that Iranian proxies were supposedly deterring the U.S. in recent years when, according to him, it should be the other way around. And in order to pivot, harsh means are necessary.
“To reset deterrence, we must apply violence that Tehran understands,” McKenzie wrote in a piece published in The Wall Street Journal on January 5.
The ex-general then made passing mention of the Kerman attack but only to advance the notion the elaborate mass casualty operation was merely the result of in-house squabbling.
“The bombing of the memorial ceremony for Soleimani in Iran on Wednesday that killed dozens of civilians isn’t an example of deterrence but likely internal factions struggling for power,” McKenzie stated obscurely.
One could interpret this comment as McKenzie stating that no external actors were involved in the attack. Perhaps McKenzie was doing subtle counterpropaganda aimed at deflecting Iranian allegations that Zionists were responsible. But it also appears the general is suggesting the culprit might not be IS-K. Because the last time I checked the Sunni jihadist group was not among “internal factions struggling for power” inside Shia Iran.
This of course contradicts other American deep state messaging. U.S. intelligence claimed they have intercepts confirming the Afghan branch of Daesh, a Sunni terrorist outfit, carried out the bombings. The White House denied having any role in the attack while an intel source told Reuters: “The intelligence is clear-cut and indisputable,” that the Islamic State is the sole guilty party here. On Thursday, the State Department, for its part, lectured the Afghan Taliban once again about cracking down on terrorists.
“We continue to make clear to the Taliban that they have counterterrorism commitments that we expect them to adhere to,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a press briefing.
This all sounds quite suspicious especially when you look back and realize that Soleimani’s assassination was one of the biggest gifts Daesh has ever received. After the successful assassination operation IS put out a statement calling Soleimani’s death an act of divine intervention that benefitted jihadists. Moreover, who does the attack benefit? Washington and its allies probably more than IS-K given the problems Iran has been giving both Israel and the U.S. as of late. And this has not been lost on Iran’s leaders.
“Washington says USA and Israel had no role in terrorist attack in Kerman, Iran. Really? A fox smells its own lair first. Make no mistake. The responsibility for this crime lies with the U.S. and Zionist regimes and terrorism is just a tool,” Iran president’s deputy chief of staff, Mohammad Jamshidi, said in a post on X just hours after the attack.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi at a mass funeral for Kerman attack victims on Friday made the same claim. And the gathered crowd responded with chants of “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”
To suggest Washington and Tel Aviv were directly involved might be going too far, especially with no hard evidence. And regardless of what Tehran says, Iran is certainly acting as if it believes the threat came from one of its eastern neighbors. The interior ministry on Friday said Iran is sealing its borders with Afghanistan and Pakistan. Moreover, IS-K likely does not have a resident Kissinger-type who sees the folly in the timing of such a terror attack and how it might harm the broader Muslim resistance against Israel and the United States in Gaza.
But it is a brute fact that the Kerman attack serves the interests of the United States and Israel. Although the U.S. and Israel do not have their fingerprints on the Kerman attack, they are, at a minimum, enjoying the sideshow that distracts Iran’s leadership. Ever since the U.S. exited Afghanistan it was just a matter of time before IS-K began conducting terrorist operations in neighboring countries including Iran. And this is something key actors within the U.S. deep state, including the likes of General McKenzie, certainly welcome.