Trump Bid to Curb Iran Falters After Baghdad Embassy Attack
- Anti-Iran protests overshadowed by surge in anti-U.S. feelings
- Analyst sees wave of Iranian-backed efforts to push out U.S.
Protesters pull off a plaque from the entrance of the U.S. embassy in Baghdad on Dec. 31, 2019.
Photographer: Ahmad al-Rubaye/AFP via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Only a day after U.S. officials boasted that anti-Iranian protests in Iraq signaled a grassroots rebellion against Tehran’s influence, Washington has become the focus of anger instead.
Dozens of Iraqi militiamen stormed the U.S. Embassy complex in Baghdad Tuesday to protest deadly U.S. airstrikes against their Iranian-backed forces. President Donald Trump tweeted that Tehran fomented the confrontation and urged Iraqis “who don’t want to be dominated and controlled by Iran” to rise up.