Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif warned US President Donald Trump on Saturday not to be “trapped” by an “Israeli plot” to provoke war by attacking US forces in Iraq and warned that any US provocation will “backfire badly,” particularly against Israel.

His warning came on the anniversary of the US elimination of Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani by a drone strike in Iraq.

“New intelligence from Iraq indicates that Israeli agent-provocateurs are plotting attacks against Americans—putting an outgoing Trump in a bind with a fake casus belli,” Zarif wrote on Twitter. “Be careful of a trap, Trump. Any fireworks will backfire badly, particularly against your same BFFs.”

New intelligence from Iraq indicate that Israeli agent-provocateurs are plotting attacks against Americans—putting an outgoing Trump in a bind with a fake casus belli.

Be careful of a trap, @realDonaldTrump. Any fireworks will backfire badly, particularly against your same BFFs.

— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) January 2, 2021

There have been regular rocket attacks on US sites in Iraq, including near the US embassy, which the US have attributed to Iran although no-known groups have claimed repsonibility.

Iranian General Esmail Ghaani, who replaced Soleimani as head of the Quds Force, stated on Friday that Iran was fully prepared to respond to any U.S. “military pressure.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)