President Trump has said Iran appears “to be standing down” after Tuesday night’s missile attack in Iraq and that “the American people should be extremely grateful and happy no Americans were harmed.”
Trump, in a nationally televised address from the White House on Wednesday, also announced a new round of what he termed “punishing economic sanctions” against the Tehran government. He also called on NATO to become more involved “in the Middle East process.”
Iran launched missile strikes against U.S. military and coalition forces in Iraq in apparent retaliation for the killing of Qassem Soleimani, the Iranian military commander.
Soleimani “should have been terminated long ago,” Trump said.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper suggested on Tuesday that Soleimani was a matter of days away from launching more violence against Americans or U.S. interests, but public details remain scarce.
“All is well! Missiles launched from Iran at two military bases located in Iraq,” Trump said in a tweet late Tuesday. “Assessment of casualties & damages taking place now. So far, so good!”
A U.S. official told NPR that there was no initial indication of any American casualties from the Iranian attack.
Initial satellite images of Ain al Assad Air Base, in Western Iraq, suggested that Iran’s strike targeted aircraft repair shelters and other such facilities.
It wasn’t immediately clear what kind of effect the damage might have on American military capabilities in Iraq, but the United States has other air bases and vast forces arrayed around the Middle East.
One question on Wednesday morning was whether the absence of any American casualties might offer a way for the two countries to de-escalate from rising tensions that have led to speculation about an armed conflict. Trump had previously warned that “if Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran.”
Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian foreign minister, called Tuesday night’s missile strike “proportionate measures in self-defense.” “We do not seek escalation or war, but will defend ourselves against any aggression,” he said on Twitter.
Before the attacks he also told NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly, who is in Tehran, that Soleimani’s killing “amounts to war.”
Source: NPR
