{"source_url": "https://mynorthwest.com", "url": "https://mynorthwest.com/1657491/esper-says-iran-may-be-planning-more-attacks-on-us-interests/", "title": "Esper says Iran may be planning more attacks on US interests", "top_image": "https://mynorthwest.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ap_5ab8c943d9574786b4f59a18186cfd0a.jpg", "meta_img": "https://mynorthwest.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ap_5ab8c943d9574786b4f59a18186cfd0a.jpg", "images": ["https://1y4yclbm79aqghpm1xoezrdw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ap_5ab8c943d9574786b4f59a18186cfd0a-620x370.jpg", "https://1y4yclbm79aqghpm1xoezrdw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/BSBfightholiday292_WebSize-1-300x180.jpg", "https://1y4yclbm79aqghpm1xoezrdw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/federal-way-shooting-620-60x60.jpg", "http://b.scorecardresearch.com/p?c1=2&c2=16033947&cv=2.0&cj=1", "https://1y4yclbm79aqghpm1xoezrdw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/imageedit_5_3466690436-60x60.jpg", "https://1y4yclbm79aqghpm1xoezrdw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/health-care-drugs_Flickr_Images-Money_620-60x60.jpg", "https://1y4yclbm79aqghpm1xoezrdw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Space-Needle-fireworks0620-60x60.jpg", "https://1y4yclbm79aqghpm1xoezrdw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/1800scottyb-4-300x180.jpg", "https://1y4yclbm79aqghpm1xoezrdw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/inslee-620Twitter-60x60.jpg", "https://1y4yclbm79aqghpm1xoezrdw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ap_486b4808798147dfbd342d3cc9153024-150x150.jpg", "https://1y4yclbm79aqghpm1xoezrdw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/mostert-getty-620-60x60.jpg", "https://1y4yclbm79aqghpm1xoezrdw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/KCLS_cover_620x370-300x180.jpg", "https://1y4yclbm79aqghpm1xoezrdw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/cms/14/1467/146728-60x60.jpg", "https://1y4yclbm79aqghpm1xoezrdw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Boat-on-Crane2-60x60.jpg", "https://1y4yclbm79aqghpm1xoezrdw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/seattle-city-council-dais_Seattle-city-council-flickr_620-250x149.jpg", "https://1y4yclbm79aqghpm1xoezrdw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/alaska-boat-kiro-7-60x60.jpg", "https://1y4yclbm79aqghpm1xoezrdw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/ap_7c1f97d478dc498f9a4aed5dfec23553-620x370-1-60x60.jpg", "https://1y4yclbm79aqghpm1xoezrdw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/smoking620-Getty-250x149.jpg", "https://1y4yclbm79aqghpm1xoezrdw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Tracy-Sound-transit-light-rail-620-60x60.jpg", "https://1y4yclbm79aqghpm1xoezrdw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ap_d9a6daafeea14d9ea16782399df83f8f-150x150.jpg", "https://1y4yclbm79aqghpm1xoezrdw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/plastic-bags_KIRO-7_620-60x60.jpg", "https://1y4yclbm79aqghpm1xoezrdw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ap_5ab8c943d9574786b4f59a18186cfd0a-150x150.jpg", "https://1y4yclbm79aqghpm1xoezrdw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Wilson-Wentz-Getty-250x149.jpg", "https://mynorthwest.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ap_5ab8c943d9574786b4f59a18186cfd0a.jpg", "https://1y4yclbm79aqghpm1xoezrdw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/fireworks-space-needle-620-60x60.jpg", "https://1y4yclbm79aqghpm1xoezrdw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/BBB-handshake-620x370-300x180.jpg", "https://1y4yclbm79aqghpm1xoezrdw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/themes/mynorthwest/assets/logo/mynw-color-logo-nodotcom.png", "https://1y4yclbm79aqghpm1xoezrdw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/car-tab-mynw-620-60x60.jpg", "https://1y4yclbm79aqghpm1xoezrdw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Olympia_Legislature_620_AP-60x60.jpg", "https://1y4yclbm79aqghpm1xoezrdw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/seattle-city-council-dais_Seattle-city-council-flickr_620-60x60.jpg", "https://1y4yclbm79aqghpm1xoezrdw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Tacoma-homeless-bathroom-620-KIRO-7-60x60.jpg", "https://1y4yclbm79aqghpm1xoezrdw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ap_5ab8c943d9574786b4f59a18186cfd0a-620x413.jpg", "https://1y4yclbm79aqghpm1xoezrdw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Seattle_StreetCar_SDOT-620-60x60.jpg", "https://1y4yclbm79aqghpm1xoezrdw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/thrift-store-unsplash-620-60x60.jpg"], "movies": [], "text": "WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 Iran or its proxy forces may be planning further strikes on American interests in the Middle East, and the U.S. is prepared to take preemptive military action if it gets sufficient warning, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Thursday.\n\n\u201cThe game has changed,\u201d Esper said, citing a series of violent attacks on U.S. personnel and facilities in Iraq in recent months by Iran-supported militia groups. \u201cWe\u2019re prepared to do what is necessary to defend our personnel and our interests and our partners in the region.\u201d\n\nOn Tuesday, after a crowd of Iran-backed militiamen and their supporters stormed the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad, the Pentagon sent a Marine quick-reaction force to the embassy, and later it dispatched hundreds of Army paratroopers from Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The paratroopers are in Kuwait as what Esper called \u201cdefensive support.\u201d\n\nEsper announced on Tuesday evening that in addition to sending about 750 soldiers from the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division, the U.S. would deploy more troops from the Fort Bragg unit \u201cover the next several days.\u201d On Thursday he gave no indication of additional imminent deployments.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ll take it day by day,\u201d Esper said when asked whether he had decided to send additional forces.\n\nWithout providing details, Esper told reporters at the Pentagon that the U.S. has \u201cindications\u201d that more Iranian provocations may be in the offing. If that happens, he said, the U.S. will take action \u2014 preemptively, if it has enough warning.\n\nIn a written statement Thursday, Esper said the U.S. is certain the attack on the embassy compound was carried out by Iran-supported Iraqi Shiite militias because key leaders of them were seen in the crowd. He specifically referred to Kataeb Hezbollah, or KH, a militia that is part of the Iraqi government-sanctioned Popular Mobilization Forces.\n\nThe U.S. also blames KH for a rocket attack on an Iraqi base near Kirkuk last week that killed one American contractor and wounded many American and Iraqi soldiers. In response, American airstrikes on Sunday struck what the Pentagon described as five KH-related targets in western Iraq and eastern Syria, killing at least 25 fighters.\n\nAsked specifically about the likelihood of further KH provocations following the embassy attack, Esper said, \u201cDo I think they may do something? Yes, and they will likely regret it.\u201d\n\nSpeaking alongside Esper, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the U.S. has sufficient forces at the Baghdad Embassy to defend it.\n\n\u201cWe are very confident that the integrity of that embassy is strong, and it is highly unlikely to be physically overrun by anyone,\u201d Milley said. \u201cThere is sufficient combat power there, air and ground, that anyone who attempts to overrun that will run into a buzz saw.\u201d\n\nTrump administration officials have expressed disappointment in the Baghdad government\u2019s failure to protect U.S. facilities and personnel in the face of numerous attacks by Iran-backed militiamen in recent months. Esper, however, took a more conciliatory tone Thursday when asked about repeated U.S. pleas for better Iraqi precautions.\n\nEsper said the Iraqi government\u2019s \u201cperformance has greatly improved in the last 24 hours,\u201d with regard to security. On the other hand, he said, the Iraqi government in 2019 was urged \u201cover and over\u201d by senior American officials to do more to control the Iran-sponsored militia groups, such as KH, and to investigate those who instigate attacks on U.S. targets.\n\n\u201cWe haven\u2019t seen sufficient action on their part,\u201d Esper said, adding that Iraqi leaders must \u201cget the Iranian influence out of the country.\u201d\n\nCopyright \u00a9 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "keywords": [], "meta_keywords": ["MyNorthwest.com - Seattle news", "sports", "weather", "traffic", "talk and community.", "Home", "MyNorthwest.com"], "tags": [], "authors": [], "publish_date": "Thu Jan  2 01:37:00 2020", "summary": "", "article_html": "", "meta_description": "WASHINGTON (AP) -- Iran or its proxy forces may be planning further strikes on American interests in the Middle East, and the U.S. is prepared to take", "meta_lang": "", "meta_favicon": "", "meta_data": {"keywords": "MyNorthwest.com - Seattle news, sports, weather, traffic, talk and community., Home,MyNorthwest.com", "verify-v1": "XrJiQDsWmPaoqGKN0EHKs7ult0rBB0W9zj4cWkAPRVI=", "viewport": "width=device-width, maximum-scale=1.0", "description": "WASHINGTON (AP) -- Iran or its proxy forces may be planning further strikes on American interests in the Middle East, and the U.S. is prepared to take", "og": {"locale": "en_US", "type": "article", "title": "Esper says Iran may be planning more attacks on US interests", "description": "WASHINGTON (AP) -- Iran or its proxy forces may be planning further strikes on American interests in the Middle East, and the U.S. is prepared to take", "url": "https://mynorthwest.com/1657491/esper-says-iran-may-be-planning-more-attacks-on-us-interests/?", "site_name": "MyNorthwest.com", "updated_time": "2020-01-02T18:50:11+00:00", "image": {"identifier": "https://mynorthwest.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ap_5ab8c943d9574786b4f59a18186cfd0a.jpg", "secure_url": "https://mynorthwest.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ap_5ab8c943d9574786b4f59a18186cfd0a.jpg", "width": 1280, "height": 853}}, "article": {"publisher": "http://www.facebook.com/mynorthwest/", "section": "AP", "published_time": "2020-01-02T01:37:00+00:00", "modified_time": "2020-01-02T18:50:11+00:00"}, "twitter": {"card": "summary_large_image", "description": "WASHINGTON (AP) -- Iran or its proxy forces may be planning further strikes on American interests in the Middle East, and the U.S. is prepared to take", "title": "Esper says Iran may be planning more attacks on US interests", "site": "@mynorthwest", "image": "https://mynorthwest.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ap_5ab8c943d9574786b4f59a18186cfd0a.jpg", "creator": "@mynorthwest"}, "generator": "AMP for WP 0.9.97.63"}, "canonical_link": "https://mynorthwest.com/1657491/esper-says-iran-may-be-planning-more-attacks-on-us-interests/?"}