Tehran’s long arm: Iran considers attacking US military base in Washington, D.C., and attempted assassination of senior U.S. military officials, the Associated Press reported today (Sunday).
According to the revelation, media coverage by U.S. intelligence agencies led to a conversation between Revolutionary Guards leaders about retaliation for the assassination of Quds Force commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Kasim Suleimani, in Iraq last year.
The information reveals that the Iranians intended to hit the “Fort McNair” base located on the shoreline of the River Acoustia using a booby-trapped motorboat and armed suicide bombers. The military base is home to several important U.S. military educational institutions as well as several U.S. military intelligence agencies.
It was also reported that the Iranians were considering assassinating General Joseph Martin, the deputy commander of the U.S. Army, who lives at the base. The military officials who passed the information to the news agency will find it difficult to remain anonymous and both the United States military and the various intelligence organizations declined to comment on the information.
Earlier this year the U.S. military sought to build checkpoints on the shipping lane near the base and authorities in Washington, D.C. objected, saying it would infringe on shipping freedom at the meeting point between three important bodies of water. The military claimed in a congressional hearing that it had information about “targeted threats” on the ground that needed further protection, but did not elaborate.