UK - A UK military commander was rebuked by the US Central Command for questioning Washington’s claims that Iran poses an increased threat. General Ghika, a senior figure in the anti-ISIS coalition, said none was evident in Iraq or Syria. The awkward exchange on Tuesday came as the US is trying to rally its allies to confront Tehran over an unspecified threat to American interests in the Middle East.
Despite the beat of the war drum, even the US’ closest allies remain skeptical about the narrative furthered by Iran hawks in Washington like US National Security Advisor John Bolton and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. One of the doubters is British Army Major General Christopher Ghika, a deputy head of the US-led coalition created to fight the terrorist group Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS).
“There’s been no increased threat from Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria,” General Ghika said on Tuesday during a video briefing from Iraq. “We’re aware of that presence, clearly. And we monitor them along with a whole range of others because that’s the environment we’re in.”