CENTCOM Commander Kenneth McKenzie assessed that “Tehran is well aware of our red lines [in Iraq], yet the evidence is also clear that many of these militia groups are trying in earnest to kill Americans with these attacks. Sooner or later, it’s almost inevitable that they will succeed, and Iran will provoke precisely what it seeks to avoid”. He also described Iran as a “main threat”, using “proxies to do its dirty work, by funnelling them arms and other resources”.