Iran intended to avoid U.S. casualties when it launched more than a dozen missiles in retaliation for the killing of a top Iranian general, say U.S. officials
Iran apparently intended to avoid U.S. casualties when it launched more than a dozen missiles at U.S.-Iraqi airbases in retaliation for an American airstrike that killed a top Iranian general, according to U.S. officials with knowledge of the matter.
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! I will be making a statement tomorrow morning. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif sounded more conciliatory. The government “concluded proportionate measures in self-defence” after the Soleimani strike, he said on Twitter. “We do not seek escalation or war, but will defend ourselves against any aggression.”
One White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the early thinking was the missile strike was a perfunctory move that would let Iran retaliate without incurring a potentially devastating U.S. counter-assault. Trump is scheduled to make a statement later Wednesday. The tensions disrupted flights, with U.S. aviation regulators issuing new restrictions barring civilian traffic over Iraq, Iran, the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Adding to the turmoil, a Boeing Co. 737 passenger jet bound for Ukraine crashed shortly after takeoff in Iran, killing all 176 people on board, with Iran’s media reporting it was due to a technical problem.
“The next question is, does the U.S. react or overreact to this,” said Jarrett Blanc, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a former State Department coordinator for Iran nuclear implementation.
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