Trump backs away from further military
“No
confrontation with Iran
‘Iran appears to be standing down,’ Trump said, in an
uncharacteristically sober speech following rising
tensions between US and Iran
Daniel Strauss and Julian Borger in Washington
Donald Trump backed away from further military
confrontation with Iran on Wednesday after days of
escalating tensions, saying Tehran appeared to be
standing down following missile attacks on two Iraqi
bases hosting US and coalition troops.
Flanked by the vice-president, Mike Pence, the defense
secretary, Mark Esper, and other high ranking military
officials in uniform, Trump delivered remarks in the
Grand Foyer of the White House, hours after Iran
declared the attack to be retaliation for the US drone
strike last week that killed the senior Iranian Gen
Qassem Suleimani.
Trump pulls back for now but game of chicken
with Tehran far from over
Read more
“Iran appears to be standing down, which is a good thing
for all parties concerned and a very good thing for the
to bomb Iranian cultural sites
days, deployed 3,500 paratroopers to the Middle East
and Americans were urged to leave the region over
safety concerns.
Trump said the United States would continue evaluating
options “in response to Iranian aggression” and that
additional sanctions on the Iranian regime would be
imposed. He did not elaborate. Iran is already so heavily
sanctioned that few experts believe that further US
measures would make much economic difference.
The president stressed the considerable power of the
United States military but said that his administration did
not seek conflict.
“Our missiles are big, powerful accurate lethal and fast.
Under construction are many hypersonic missiles,”
Trump said. “The fact that we have this great military
and equipment, however, it does not mean we have to
use it. We do not want to use it.”
The president, who is campaigning for re-election in
November, has faced fierce criticism from senior
Democrats in recent days over his administration’s
handling
of the standoff. Joe Biden, the former vice-president
seen as the frontrunner for the presidential nomination,
accused Trump brought the United States “dangerously
close” to war with Iran.
world,” Trump said, reading from teleprompters.
American or Iraqi lives were lost because of the
precautions taken, the dispersal of forces, and an early
warning system that worked very well.”
Later, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, General
Mark Milley, said the nature of the missile damage at the
targeted bases suggested the attack was intended to
take US and allied lives.
“I believe, based on what I saw and what I know, that
they were intended to cause structural damage, destroy
vehicles and equipment and aircraft and to kill
personnel. That’s my own personal assessment,” Milley
said. Satellite images showed the missiles destroyed
buildings at al-Asad base in Anbar province.
A few hours after the president spoke, the fortified
diplomatic area in Baghdad, the Green Zone, was hit by
two rockets. Initial reports suggest they were fired
locally, and caused no casualties, but they were a
reminder of the threat of Iraqi militias, some with close
ties to Tehran.
Blasts and sirens heard in Baghdad's Green Zone –
video
Trump’s speech was notably more sober than his more
bellicose statements and tweets in the immediate
aftermath of Suleimani’s killing, in which he threatened
a potential war crime. The United States, in recent
Senior administration officials briefed Congress behind
closed doors on the
decision to target Suleimani and other aspects of the
crisis, but they were castigated on both sides of the aisle
for being evasive on major issues.
“There were so many important questions that they did
not answer,” said Democratic senator Chuck Schumer.
“As the questions began to get tough, they walked out.”
Dialled down: Iran's phoned-in attack just enough to
ease tensions
Read more
Republican senator Mike Lee called it “the worst briefing
I’ve had on a military issue in my nine years” in the
Senate, according to CNN . Lee called the
administration’s handling of the crisis “un-American” and
“completely unacceptable”.
On Thursday, the House of Representatives will vote on
a war powers resolution that demands an end to US
military action against Iran without congressional
approval.
Trump’s address came after Iran launched more than a
dozen missiles at Iraqi bases hosting US and coalition
troops. Al-Asad airbase in Iraq’s Anbar province was hit
17 times, including by two ballistic missiles that failed to
detonate,
according to the Iraqi government. A further five missiles
were targeted at a base in the northern city of Erbil in the
assault, which began at about 1.30am local time on
Wednesday.
In a letter to the UN secretary general , the Iranian
ambassador to the United Nations, Majid Takht
Ravanchi, described the strikes as a “measured and
proportionate” act of self-defence permitted under the
UN Charter, adding that Iran “does not seek escalation
or war”.
However, while both sides appeared to step back from
confrontation in the short term, analysts have warned
that the standoff may continue to play out through
proxies in the Middle East. Security experts have also
warned of possible Iranian cyber attacks on critical
infrastructure.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, described the
bombings as “a slap in the face” for the US but warned
Tehran still had a wider goal of expelling its enemy from
the region. The Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, said
the “final answer” to the assassination would be to “kick
all US forces out of the region”.
In his Wednesday address, Trump again vowed that he
would not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon and
urged world powers to quit a 2015 nuclear accord with
Iran that Washington abandoned in 2018 and work for a
new deal, an issue that has been at the heart of rising
tensions between Washington and Tehran. Iran has
denied it seeks nuclear weapons, and rejected new
talks.
“The time has come for the United Kingdom, Germany,
France, Russia and China to recognize this reality,”
Trump said. “They must now break away from the
remnants of the Iran deal or JCPOA. And we must all
work together toward making a deal with Iran, that
makes the world a safer and more peaceful place.”
EU leaders relieved as Trump steps away from
Iran conflict
Trump also said he would ask Nato to “become much
more involved in the Middle East process”, without
elaborating. Trump in the past has repeatedly criticized
the alliance and further alienated his European partners
by failing to warn them about the Suleimani killing.
There was no immediate reaction from Iranian officials to
Trump’s comments. The semi-official Fars news agency
described the US president’s remarks as a “big retreat
from threats”.
Ned Price, a former CIA official who also worked on the
National Security Council during Barack Obama’s
administration, said that the speech had moved the
United States somewhat away from the brink of war with
Iran.
“President Trump’s reckless approach has created a
dangerous reality in which the best case scenario would
be avoiding war with Iran,” Price said. “With his address
today, Trump may have met that exceedingly low bar,
but just barely. At the same time, his actions are not
consequence-free. Far from it, as Americans around the
world and our partners are now under increased threat
from an array of challenges.”
But Price also noted that by authorizing the Suleimani
killing, Trump had
“galvanized Tehran’s proxy and military forces into
action”.
“If history is any guide, they will seek to take on a
months’ or even years’-long effort to seek vengeance for
Suleimani’s death, taking advantage of their presence
throughout the region and even beyond,” Price added.
Additional reporting: Michael Safi in Beirut, Oliver
Holmes and Ghaith Abdul- Ahad in Baghdad
President Trump said the U.S. was ‘ready to embrace
peace.’
Video
TRANSCRIPT
0:00/0:60
‘Iran Appears to Be Standing Down,’ Trump Says
In an address to the nation, President Trump spoke
about the conflict with Iran after its retaliatory strikes on
two bases housing American troops, and announced
new economic sanctions against Tehran.
As long as I’m president of the United States, Iran will
never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon. Iran
appears to be standing down, which is a good thing for
all parties concerned, and a very good thing for the
world. The American people should be extremely
grateful and happy. No Americans were harmed in last
night’s attack by the Iranian regime. We suffered no
casualties. All of our soldiers are safe, and only minimal
damage was sustained at our military bases. The United
States will immediately impose additional punishing
economic sanctions on the Iranian regime. These
powerful sanctions will remain until Iran changes its
behavior.
 0:59‘Iran Appears to Be Standing Down,’ Trump Says
In an address to the nation, President Trump
spoke about the conflict with Iran after its retaliatory
strikes on two bases housing American troops, and
announced new economic sanctions against
Tehran.CreditCredit...Doug Mills/The New York Times

President Trump announced new economic sanctions

against Tehran but did not call for more military action
against the Iranians during his first formal public remarks
about the conflict since ordering the drone strike of Iran’s
most important general last week.
“The United States is ready to embrace peace with all
who seek it,” Mr. Trump said. Flanked by Vice President
Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Defense
Secretary Mark T. Esper and other military officials, the
president did little to explain his reasoning for ordering
the killing of General Suleimani.Celebrating in Tehran
with pictures of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani after Iran
launched missiles at American forces in
Iraq.Credit...Wana News Agency, via Reuters

There were signs Wednesday that the United States and

Iran have stepped back
from the edge of a war .

The Iranian foreign minister said that his country had

“concluded” its attacks on
American forces and that it did “not seek escalation or
war.” Iran fired more than
20 ballistic missiles at two military bases in Iraq where
United States troops are stationed.

The foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, posted

the remarks on Twitter after
Iran conducted the strikes in response to the killing of
Maj. Gen. Qassim

Suleimani
a leader of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
Senior Iraqi defense officials who work with the United
States command said that no Americans or Iraqis had
been killed in the attacks. In a short statement released
on Wednesday morning, the Joint Command in
Baghdad, which includes both
Iraqi troops and soldiers from the international coalition,
said that neither force
“recorded any losses.”
12.6K people are talking about this
Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, said Wednesday that
General Suleimani had “fought heroically” against
jihadist groups and that Europe was safer because of his
efforts.
ADVERTISEMENT
Continue reading the main story
“Our final answer to his assassination will be to kick all
US forces out of the region,” he wrote.

Without American deaths from Iran’s missiles, Mr. Trump

may not have felt the same pressure to punch back that
he would have confronted with high troop casualties.

Maps: How the Confrontation Between the U.S.

and Iran Escalated

Here’s how the situation developed over the last two

weeks.

General Suleimani was killed on Friday in Baghdad in a

drone strike ordered by President Trump. American
officials said the general, who led the foreign
expeditionary Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards,
had been planning imminent attacks on American
interests. One American official has since described
that intelligence as thin.

“Iran took & concluded proportionate measures in self-

defense,” Foreign Minister Zarif said in his Twitter
message, adding, “We do not seek escalation or war,
but will defend ourselves against any aggression.
Although Mr. Zarif, said his country had concluded its
attack, officials around the region cautioned that the
statement did not mean Tehran was done maneuvering,
and Iran’s leadership has reiterated its goal of forcing
United States troops out of the Middle East.

Hassan Rouhani
✔@HassanRouhani

General Soleimani fought heroically against ISIS, Al

Nusrah, Al Qaeda et al. If it weren’t for his war on terror,
European capitals would be in great danger now.
Our final answer to his assassination will be to kick all
US forces out of the region.

34.9K
7:00 AM - Jan 8, 2020 Twitter Ads info and privacy