Donald Trump has said Iran is 'standing down' in the Middle East after a 'crushing revenge' strike aimed at avenging the death of one of its top generals failed to kill a single soldier.
The President said he no longer wants to use American military might against Tehran as the two sides stepped back from the brink of all-out conflict, in what amounts to a victory for the US.
Trump said he will impose 'punishing' new sanctions in an attempt to force Iran to abandon its nuclear program and stop supporting terrorists, but offered an olive branch by inviting European nations along with Russia and China to negotiate an alternative to the 2015 nuclear deal which he said would guarantee Iran 'a good future'.
Trump added that the world should be 'very happy' after General
Qassem Soleimani, who was credited with killing and maiming thousands of US and allied troops across the Middle East, was taken out using 'big, powerful, accurate, lethal, and fast' missiles.
Donald Trump said Iran appears to be 'standing down' after a revenge strike for the death of General Qassem Soleimani failed to kill a single soldier, saying the world should be 'very happy' at the result
The President said he doesn't want to use American military strength against Iran, as he vowed to impose more sanctions in order to force Tehran to abandon its nuclear programme and support for terror group across the region
Trump's gamble in killing Soleimani in a drone strike at Baghdad airport last week appeared to have paid off after Iran launched 22 ballistic missiles in response, without causing major damage
America is willing to negotiate an alternative to the 2015 nuclear deal that Iran signed with Obama, Trump insisted, that would guarantee the country 'a good future'
Iran has fired 22 ballistic missiles at two Iraqi bases housing American troops in a revenge attack for the U.S. drone strike that killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani
The Ain al-Asad airbase in western Iraq that was visited by Donald Trump in December 2018 and the Erbil base in Iraqi Kurdistan were both struck by the missiles on Tuesday at about 5.20pm EST (1.20am local time)
It is thought Iran used Fatteh-110 and Qaim-1 ballistic missiles during the attack, which failed to kill any US or Iraqi troops (pictured, one of the missiles is launched in Iran)
Donald Trump speaks to reporters at the White House on Wednesday morning after Iran's revenge strike against the US
Trump called on European powers alongside Russia and China to negotiate a new deal to replace the 2015 nuclear agreement signed under Obama, which he said would provide the country with 'a good future'
Satellite images taken of the airbase at Ai al-Asad showed several structures at the base had been destroyed, but that much of the sprawling compound remained untouched
But should President Donald Trump choose to invade, the US would face a bitter war waged by the Ayatollah's 150,000 elite troops of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, 350,000 regular soldiers and half a million in reserve.
Meanwhile the navy could put a strangle-hold on the world's oil supply in the Strait of Hormuz with a maritime guerrilla force of small, rapid vessels rigged with machine guns and missiles, as well as 'midget' submarines and sea mines.
A third of the world's liquefied gas and almost a quarter of its oil flows through the narrow, shallow waters on Iran's southern coast, which was the scene of oil tanker attacks and seizures last year.
Iran's defense spending soared after sanctions were lifted by the 2015 Iran Deal but the budget has fallen substantially since Trump reimposed those penalties. Spending for last year was around $20.7 billion - roughly 3.8% of its GDP - while the year before it was $27.3 billion.
'Tehran has committed itself to becoming the dominant power in the turbulent and strategic Middle East,' according to the US Defense Intelligence Agency.
Source: Dailymail
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