The attack in Erbil follows the same pattern as the June 2019 Gulf of Oman tanker attack and September 2019 Abqaiq and Khurrais attack.

Each was timed to coincide with the an attempt to broker dialogue between the US and Iran—first by Abe, then Macron, now Al Thani.

— Esfandyar Batmanghelidj (@yarbatman) February 15, 2021