WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Iran appears to be standing down and no Americans or Iraqis were harmed in Iran’s missile strike on two Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops.
Speaking from the White House, Trump seemed intent on deescalating the crisis, indicating that he would not retaliate militarily for the strikes. Instead, he said the U.S. would immediately put in place new economic sanctions until Iran changes its behavior” after that country’s most brazen direct assault on America since the 1979 seizing of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.
The attack came days after Trump authorized the targeted killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Irans elite Quds Force. Iran had pledged to retaliate, bringing the two countries closer to the brink of war.
Trump credited an early warning system that worked very well” for the fact that no Americans or Iraqis were killed. He added that Americans should be extremely grateful and happy with the outcome.
He reiterated his position that Iran will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon” and called for new nuclear negotiations to replace the 2015 nuclear deal from which he withdrew the U.S.
Trump also announced he would ask NATO to become “much more involved in the Middle East process.
The Iranian strikes came days after Trump authorized the targeted killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force. Iran had pledged to retaliate, though its actions did not appear to result in any American casualties, according to a U.S. official. Its missiles targeted two bases one in the northern Iraqi city in Irbil and the other at Ain al-Asad in western Iraq.
The lack of U.S. casualties could signal that Iran is not interested in escalating the tension with Washington at least not now and could give Trump an opening to calm relations with Iran and pull the U.S. back from the brink of war. Trump, who is facing reelection in November, campaigned for president on a promise to keep the United States from engaging in endless war.”
Sen. James Inhofe, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee told reporters Wednesday that he spoke with Trump Tuesday evening after the Iranian strike and said the president indicated his desire to reopen negotiations with Iran.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin in a joint statement after a closed-door meeting on Mideast security are warning that the further use of force would lead to a new cycle of instability and would eventually damage everyones interests.
In the hours before the missile strikes, U.S. officials said they expected some sort of response from Iran, and Trump warned the longtime U.S. foe against a disproportionate response. If Iran does anything that they shouldn’t be doing, they’re going to be suffering the consequences, and very strongly.
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted that the country had concluded proportionate measures in self-defense.”
But speaking on Wednesday, Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the strike was not necessarily the totality of Iran’s response.
Last night they received a slap, Khamenei said in a speech. These military actions are not sufficient (for revenge). What is important is that the corrupt presence of America in this region comes to an end.
Soleimani’s death last week in an American drone strike in Baghdad prompted angry calls for vengeance and drew massive crowds of Iranians to the streets to mourn him. Khamenei himself wept at the funeral in a sign of his bond with the commander.
The Iranians fired a total of 15 missiles in Wednesdays strike, two U.S. officials said. Ten hit the Ain al-Asad air base in Iraqs western Anbar province and one targeted a base in Irbil in Iraqs semi-autonomous Kurdish region. Four failed, said the officials, who were not authorized to speak publicly about a military operation.
