President Trump said Wednesday that Iran was “standing down” after a missile attack overnight, and announced that no American or Iraqi troops had been killed or injured in the regime’s retaliatory strike on bases in Iraq where US troops were stationed but first vowed the Islamic Republic would never have a nuclear weapon.
“As long as I am President of the United States, Iran will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon,” Trump vowed immediately upon taking the podium.
“Iran appears to be standing down, which is a good thing for all parties concerned and a very good thing for the world. No American or Iraqi lives were lost because of the precautions taken, the dispersal of forces and an early warning system that worked very well,” the commander in chief said at 11:30 a.m. from the Grand Foyer in the White House, to a room packed with top defense and other officials, Vice President Mike Pence and the press.
“We suffered no casualties. All of our soldiers are safe and only minimal damage was sustained at our military bases.“
But, he added, the US would slap even tougher sanctions on the Islamic Republic in response to the missile strike.
“The United States will immediately impose additional punishing economic sanctions on the Iranian regime. These powerful sanctions will remain until Iran changes its behavior,” he said.
Trump condemned Iran’s past attacks on US troops and others and meddling in the affairs of other countries in the region — but said the US did not want war.
“For far too long, all the way back to 1979, to be exact, nations have tolerated Iran’s destructive and destabilizing behavior in the Middle East and beyond. Those days are over. Iran has been the leading sponsor of terrorism and their pursuit of nuclear weapons threatens the civilized world. We will never let that happen,” the president declared.
He then singled out terror mastermind Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds forces, whom the US eliminated in a drone strike on Friday at Baghdad’s airport.
“In recent days he was planning new attacks on American targets, but we stopped him. Soleimani’s hands were drenched in both American and Iranian blood. He should have been terminated long ago. By removing Soleimani, we have sent a powerful message to terrorists. If you value your own life, you will not threaten the lives of our people,” Trump said.
And he blamed the Obama administration’s nuclear deal with Tehran for purportedly financing Iranian terror.
“Iran’s hostilities substantially increased after the foolish Iran nuclear deal was signed in 2013,” Trump asserted, in which the Obama administration freed up tens of billions in assets frozen after the 1979 revolution back to Iran.
“Instead of saying thank you to the United States, they chanted ‘Death to America.’ In fact they chanted ‘Death to America’ the day the agreement was signed. Then Iran went on a terror spree, funded by the money from the deal and created hell in Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan and Iraq. The missiles fired last night at us and our allies were paid for with the funds made available by the last administration,” Trump said.
He also called for negotiations to ensure that Iran never developed a nuclear weapon and to seek peace.
“We must all work together toward making a deal with Iran that makes the world a safer and more peaceful place. We must also make a deal that allows Iran to thrive and prosper and take advantage of its enormous untapped potential,” he said.
“The civilized world must send a clear and unified message to the Iranian regime. Your campaign of terror, murder, mayhem, will not be tolerated any longer. It will not be allowed to go forward,” he said, adding in a twist that NATO, a frequent target of presidential ire, should do more to help stabilize the region.
“Today I am going to ask NATO to become much more involved in the Middle East process,” he said, before touting America’s military might.
“The fact that we have this great military and equipment, however, does not mean we have to use it. We do not want to use it,” he said, five days after the drone attack.
Trump was joined standing by Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien, and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also were present.
His remarks came after Iranian forces fired missiles at military bases housing US troops in Iraq on Wednesday in retaliation for the killing of Soleimani, raising the stakes in its conflict with Washington amid concern of a wider war in the Middle East.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali, addressing a gathering of Iranians chanting “Death to America,” said earlier that the attacks were a “slap on the face” of the United States and said US troops should leave the region.
Tehran’s foreign minister said Iran took “proportionate measures” in self-defense and did not seek to escalate the confrontation.Trump, who ordered the drone strike that killed Soleimani in Baghdad on Friday, gave an initial response on Twitter: “All is well!”
“All is well! Missiles launched from Iran at two military bases located in Iraq. Assessment of casualties & damages taking place now. So far, so good! We have the most powerful and well equipped military anywhere in the world, by far!” he said.
With Post wires