Some administration officials believe Iran intentionally missed areas with Americans

[jpak]

Source: CNN

Washington (CNN)There is a growing belief among some Trump administration officials that Iran's missiles intentionally missed areas populated by Americans when they targeted two Iraqi bases housing US troops early Wednesday local time, multiple administration officials said.

Iran fired a number of missiles aimed at the bases in retaliation for the American strike that killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani last week, further escalating tensions between the two countries. Officials have said there were no US casualties as a result of the attacks, though a full assessment is underway.

The administration officials floated the notion that Iran could have directed their missiles to hit areas that are populated by Americans, but intentionally did not.

And they suggested Iran may have chosen to send a message rather than take significant enough action to provoke a substantial US military response, a possible signal the administration was looking for rationale to calm the tensions.

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Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/08/politics/trump-iran-retaliation-missile-attacks/index.html

[braddy]

1. Iran is trying to thread the needle, they want to blow some smoke to save face, but not enough to

make us hurt them too badly.

[paleotn]

13. Or for them to hurt us badly

Restraint is the first lesson in diplomacy. The rush from blowing the shit out of someone is fleeting. The repercussions can last decades or centuries.

[braddy]

14. They are pretty powerless, all they can do is harass us and supposedly we have dropped our

policy of pretending that we don't know it is their proxy conducting terror attacks against us.

[paleotn]

15. The last 20 years have completely changed

the calculus of who’s powerless and who’s powerful. The internet changed that forever.

[MosheFeingold]

18. Correct n/t

[lapfog_1]

2. ballistic milles fired from Iran were easy to detect

and track... and filmed during their boost phase and broadcast to the Iranian people.

This was a stunt to tell the Iranian people "look, we are retaliating against the US" and a message to the US.

[getagrip_already]

3. it was actually pretty smart.....

They hit iraqi soldiers, sending a message that they shouldn't change course about kicking the us out. Iran also threatened Dubai, saying they will be hit if the us attacks from bases in the uae.

So they are effectively threatening anyone who would aid america. Without giving trump an excuse to attack.

Trump is humiliated, even if his aides won't tell him. His is impotus. He didn't even go the tellie-tellie last night. And apparently he isn't today. The wh is now hinting pence will make a televised speech.

WTF? The cic doesn't do anything but tweet after iran fires at our troops. Then the vp steps in to make a speech?

Something is wrong with him. No wonder mitch wants to short circuit the impeachment hearings so trump gets to claim victory during the state of the union. He would be a flaming wreck otherwise.

[onenote]

7. "They hit Iraqi soldiers" -- got a link to back that up?

[MosheFeingold]

19. They didn't hit anyone.

In fact, they called the PM of Iraq and told them when and where the missiles were coming.

Trump got lucky, so we got lucky.

Chalk it up as a "buy" (or is it "bye"?) and go on to the next round.

[Dennis Donovan]

4. That's because this wasn't meant to be a "proportionate" response to the Soleimani assassination

This was to tell Washington that they can strike back from within their borders.

Their "proportionate" response is yet-to-come.

[Docreed2003]

5. To those "administration officials"

[mercuryblues]

6. That is BS

It is being reported that Iran told Iraq what it was going to do. IOW they did not want any casualties. This was a warning, not "saving face."

[Igel]

22. Why either/or?

If it was a warning, it would have been very easy to say it was a warning. It doesn't seem be taken that way by the Iranian press.

If they had wanted their citizens to know they were being merciful by not taking American lives, either mercy is something to be ashamed about (so you don't mention it), it was all an accident or the plan was foiled by the US, or the goal wasn't to appear to be merciful in that way but to bill the strike as harsh but proportionate retribution.

If a single death and a couple months of escalating attacks got Soleimani killed, what would killing 80 Americans, either troops or contractors, get them?

It's a useful threading of the needle. It can be taken all sorts of different ways, as long as you get the necessary facts and assumptions lined up just right.

[OnlinePoker]

8. I thought the U.S. had anti-missile defence systems

Why aren't they deployed in Iraq, knowing the country right next door is likely to fire missiles?

[AncientGeezer]

17. They are.

[MosheFeingold]

20. They're not set up

To defend desert wasteland, which is where these missiles landed.

And it's well known Iran has capable missile and drone systems. They just performed a much more extensive and complex mission of bombing Saudi's oil facilities across the sea.

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

9. I figured that out right away ...

... when the first report(s) stated that the rockets/missiles. "landed", on the bases. No mention of any big damage. Iran did it to mess with Trump's head and see if Trump would dig himself in a deeper hole/psychosis.

[dalton99a]

10. Their missiles didn't miss the Saudi oil facilities last year

(Planet Labs, via Agence France-Presse)

[SergeStorms]

11. Of course they missed intentionally.

With the GPS associated with those weapon systems they can hit a target within 5 meters. They were sending a message, a message they hoped Trump (or those advising him) would be smart enough to understand. Of course that would never stop the Orange Asshole from thumping his chest and taking credit for everything since single cell organisms split in two.

[paleotn]

12. Gave prior notice as well

to the Iraqis and indirectly to the US. They’re showing remarkable restraint.

[MosheFeingold]

21. Do you give

a mad dog in a yard a wide berth?

I always do. I don't blame the Iranians for giving Trump a wide berth. He's insane.

Last night the talk was all about blowing up Iran's oil infrastructure, wells, Kargh island, etc. That would have destroyed Iran's economy for a generation.

[AncientGeezer]

16. They did...and gave prior warning. It was a show....nothing more.