Phyllis Bennis, director of the New Internationalism Project at the Institute for Policy Studies, assesses escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran after President Trump ordered the assassination of Iran’s military commander, General Qasem Soleimani, who led Iranian military operations in the Middle East as head of his nation’s elite Quds Force.

Bennis discusses Iran’s threats of retaliation and Iraq’s Parliamentary vote demanding all U.S. forces leave the country after multiple American airstrikes targeting Iraqi militia group Kataib Hezbollah. The December 29th U.S. airstrike led to an assault on the US embassy compound in Baghdad by crowds protesting the American attack.