A new book by former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reveals the behind-the-scenes details of the Revolutionary Guards' ballistic missile attack on the "Ain al-Asad" base, which houses American forces in Iraq, in 2020. This attack was in retaliation for the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, who was killed five days earlier in a U.S. strike near Baghdad airport. In the book titled "The Depth of Patience," released a few days ago, Zarif sheds light on eight years of his tenure from 2013 to 2021. He mentions that the first decision by the Supreme National Security Council regarding the nature of the revenge determined that "there is no rush for revenge, and the most effective method is what is always practiced by Hezbollah, namely imposing exhausting terms of preparedness on the other side's forces," according to the newspaper "Asharq Al-Awsat."
In recent months, there have been conflicting accounts about whether the Americans received Iranian messages before the attack on the Ain al-Asad base to avoid casualties among American troops. Last month, Ali Shamkhani, advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, denied what former President Donald Trump claimed about receiving an Iranian message.
Former President Trump revealed a secret that perhaps had not been disclosed before regarding the story of the killing of the former commander of the Quds Force, Soleimani, noting that the Iranian regime sought his permission before responding to the assassination to save face and fearing a stronger American retaliation. Trump stated that he was disclosing this story for the first time to "prove America's respect," considering that Iran does not respect the United States under Biden's administration.
Trump said: "They had to respond to save face, and that's natural. Then they informed us that 18 missiles would be launched at an American base in Iraq, but they would not target it directly; instead, they would only target the base's surroundings." He clarified that no American soldier was harmed in the bombing, adding that he was "the only one who was not agitated" following this attack because he was aware of "Iran's intentions."
Returning to the book by the former Iranian Foreign Minister, Zarif notes that just hours after the Revolutionary Guards' attack on the Ain al-Asad base, he received a phone call from his deputy, Abbas Araqchi, who informed him about the attack. This occurred after Araqchi contacted the Swiss ambassador, who looks after American interests, to convey an Iranian message at the request of the Supreme National Security Council. Zarif indicates that the Americans received information from the Iranians hours before the attack and adds that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and the Foreign Ministry learned of the attack hours after Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi. Zarif wrote, "Informing the Iraqi Prime Minister was a correct and appropriate action, but what raises questions is why they did not inform the president (Rouhani) and the Foreign Minister?"
