Thu | Oct 16, 2025

US, Iran step back from brink

Published:Thursday | January 9, 2020 | 12:55 AM
United States President Donald Trump addresses the nation from the White House on the ballistic missile strike that Iran launched against Iraqi air bases housing US troops, Wednesday, January 8, 2020, in Washington.
United States President Donald Trump addresses the nation from the White House on the ballistic missile strike that Iran launched against Iraqi air bases housing US troops, Wednesday, January 8, 2020, in Washington.

WASHINGTON (AP):

The United States and Iran stepped back from the brink of possible war on Wednesday as President Donald Trump indicated that he would not respond militarily after no one was harmed in Iran’s missile strikes on two Iraqi bases housing US troops.

Speaking from the White House, Trump seemed intent on de-escalating the crisis, which reached a new height after he authorised the targeted killing last week of General Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force. Iran retaliated overnight with its most direct assault on America since the 1979 seizing of the US Embassy in Tehran, firing more than a dozen missiles from its territory at the installations in Iraq.

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.

Trump, facing one of the greatest tests of his presidency, said on Wednesday that Iran appeared to be “standing down” and said the US response would be to put in place new economic sanctions “until Iran changes its behaviour”.

The strikes had pushed Tehran and Washington perilously close to all-out conflict and put the world’s attention on Trump as he weighed whether to respond with more military force.