Did Iran Kill 600 Americans in Iraq War II?

by | May 8, 2019

Did Iran Kill 600 Americans in Iraq War II?

by | May 8, 2019

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claims that Iran killed 600 Americans during Iraq War II. The syllogism goes, Iran supplied EFP bombs to Sadr’s militia, the Mahdi Army, they then used those bombs on U.S. troops. Ergo “Iran,” meaning the ayatollah and his government, killed those troops.

Is that the case?

No. All through 2007, Gen. Petraeus and friends had insisted that all Shi’ite-placed, copper-core-having, “Explosively Formed Penetrators” were being made and supplied by Iran. They never demonstrated this.

In fact, if you check, you will find that over and over again, Western reporters found machine shops where the EFPs were being made in Iraq by Iraqis.

Here are a few blogs full of links from back then.

And here are a few more articles debunking the spin.

It does look like Lebanese Hezbollah taught them how to make them, but they’re not “Iran,” and they did what? Taught Iraqi Shia how to make them. And again, though obviously it’s possible in part at least, it was never shown that any of these bombs originated in Iran, much less that the Iranian government was behind it all. The U.S. claimed that then, and they claim it now, but they have never proven it.

So you can see how attributing every American death at the hands of a Shi’ite in Iraq War II  to “Iran,” based on the Shi’ites’ use of EFP bombs, is just plain old not accurate.

Scott Horton

Scott Horton

Scott Horton is director of the Libertarian Institute, editorial director of Antiwar.com and host of the Scott Horton Show from ScottHorton.org. He is the author of four books. He has conducted more than 6,000 interviews since 2003. Scott lives in Austin, Texas with his wife, Larisa Alexandrovna Horton.

View all posts

Our Books

Shop books published by the Libertarian Institute.

Podcasts

scotthortonshow logosq

coi banner sq2@0.5x

liberty weekly thumbnail

Don't Tread on Anyone Logo

313x0w (1)

313x0w (1)

313x0w (1)

Our Books

Recent Articles

Recent

The Great Enrichment Is Real

From about 1800 to the present the world's economy did something good, which looks to be permanent and looks to be justified. If contrary to the evidence we cling to our prejudices about economic history—our view that the Industrial Revolution was improverishng, or...

read more
Where Are We?

Where Are We?

A Lot of people have been asking me where we are politically. I don’t know if I have a good answer, but “When I am Weaker Than You, I ask you for Freedom because that is according to your principles; when I am Stronger than you, I take away your Freedom Because that...

read more
Bertolt Brecht’s “A Worker Reads and Asks”

Bertolt Brecht’s “A Worker Reads and Asks”

In 1935 while in exile Brecht wrote his poem challenging the aristocracy of history. The belief that events and the entire of human existence occurs because of a great man, the dear leader. In contemporary moments, politicians and influential people are looked at with...

read more

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This