Members of the National Security Council ordered the Pentagon to draft plans for a military strike against Iran after a failed mortar attack against the U.S. Embassy in Iraq, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.
National Security Adviser John R. Bolton reportedly called for the battle plans to be drafted in the wake of the mortar attack on the embassy in Baghdad in September, the Journal reported.
In addition, two rockets were fired toward the secure compound of the U.S. Consulate in city of Basra, in southwest Iraq. Local reports said both strikes were carried out by Iranian-backed paramilitary forces operating in the country.
The explosives reportedly landed in an abandoned lot adjacent to U.S. Embassy and resulted in no casualties, the Journal reported, adding that he Basra attacks did not affect the consulate operations.
It is unclear whether Pentagon planners completed the strike plans or if the plans were delivered to the White House. But the move did alarm some top-level leaders at the Pentagon and U.S. diplomats at State Department, the Journal reported.
“People were shocked. It was mind-boggling how cavalier they were about hitting Iran,” a former administration official told the Journal.
National Security Council spokesman Garret Marquis declined to comment on reports of Iran strike plans.
“We continue to review the status of our personnel following attempted attacks on our embassy in Baghdad and our Basra consulate, and we will consider a full range of options to preserve their safety and our interests,” Mr. Marquis told the Journal.
• Carlo Muñoz can be reached at cmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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