TEHRAN,
Iran (AP) — Iran struck back at the United States early Wednesday for
killing a top Revolutionary Guard commander, firing a series of
ballistic missiles at two military bases in Iraq that house American
troops in a major escalation between the two longtime foes.
It
was Iran’s most direct assault on America since the 1979 seizing of the
U.S. Embassy in Tehran, and Iranian state TV said it was in revenge for
the U.S. killing of Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani, whose
death last week in an American drone strike near Baghdad prompted angry
calls to avenge his slaying. A U.S. and Iraqi officials said there were
no immediate reports of casualties, though buildings were still being
searched. The Iraqi government later confirmed there were no casualties
among Iraqi forces.
A
presenter on Iranian state television later claimed, without offering
evidence, that the strikes killed “at least 80 terrorist U.S soldiers”
and also damaged helicopters, drones and other equipment at the Ain
al-Asad air base.
The
strikes, which came as Iran buried Soleimani, raised fears that the two
longtime foes were closer to war. But there were some indications that
there would not be further retaliation on either side, at least in the
short term.
‘All
is well!’ President Donald Trump tweeted shortly after the missile
attacks, adding, ‘So far, so good’ regarding casualties. Moments
earlier, Iran’s foreign minister tweeted that Tehran had taken “&
concluded proportionate measures in self-defense,” adding that Tehran
did “not seek escalation” but would defend itself against further
aggression.
In
Tehran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called the missile strike
on the U.S. bases in Iraq a “slap in the face” of the Americans, adding
that military retaliation is not sufficient. “The corrupt presence of
the U.S. in the region should come to end,” he said.
The
killing of Soleimani — a national hero to many in Iran — and strikes by
Tehran came as tensions have been rising steadily across the Mideast
after Trump’s decision to unilaterally withdraw America from Tehran’s
nuclear deal with world powers. They also marked the first time in
recent years that Washington and Tehran have attacked each other
directly rather than through proxies in the region. It raised the
chances of open conflict erupting between the two enemies, who have been
at odds since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution and the subsequent U.S.
Embassy takeover and hostage crisis.
Adding
to the chaos and overall jitters, a Ukrainian airplane with at least
170 people crashed after takeoff just outside Tehran on Wednesday
morning, killing all on board, state TV reported. The plane had taken
off from Imam Khomeini International Airport and mechanical issues were
suspected, the report said.
Iran
initially announced only one missile strike, but U.S. officials
confirmed both. U.S. defense officials were at the White House, likely
to discuss options with Trump, who launched the attack on Soleimani
while facing an upcoming impeachment trial in the Senate.
Iran’s
Revolutionary Guard warned the U.S. and its regional allies against
retaliating over the missile attack on the Ain al-Asad air base in
Iraq’s western Anbar province. The Guard issued the warning via a
statement carried by Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency.
“We
are warning all American allies, who gave their bases to its terrorist
army, that any territory that is the starting point of aggressive acts
against Iran will be targeted,” the Guard said. It also threatened
Israel.
After
the strikes, a former Iranian nuclear negotiator posted a picture of the
Islamic Republic’s flag on Twitter, appearing to mimic Trump who posted
an American flag following the killing of Soleimani and others Friday.
Ain
al-Asad air base was first used by American forces after the 2003
U.S.-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein, and later saw
American troops stationed there amid the fight against the Islamic State
group in Iraq and Syria. It houses about 1,500 U.S. and coalition
forces. The U.S. also acknowledged another missile attack targeting a
base in Irbil in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region.
The
Iranians fired a total of 15 missiles, two U.S. officials said. Ten hit
Ain al-Asad and one the base in Irbil. Four failed, said the officials,
who were not authorized to speak publicly about a military operation.
Two
Iraqi security officials said at least one of the missiles appeared to
have struck a plane at the Ain al-Asad base, igniting a fire. There were
no immediate reports of casualties from the attacks, according to the
officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they had no permission
to talk to journalists.
About
70 Norwegian troops also were on the air base but no injuries were
reported, Brynjar Stordal, a spokesperson for the Norwegian Armed Forces
told The Associated Press.
Trump
visited the sprawling Ain al-Asad air base, about 100 kilometers (60
miles) west of Baghdad, in December 2018, making his first presidential
visit to troops in the region. Vice President Mike Pence also has
visited the base.
“As
we evaluate the situation and our response, we will take all necessary
measures to protect and defend U.S. personnel, partners and allies in
the region,” said Jonathan Hoffman, an assistant to the U.S. defense
secretary.
Wednesday’s
missile strikes happened a few hours after crowds in Iran mourned
Soleimani at his funeral. It also came the U.S. continued to reinforce
its own positions in the region and warned of an unspecified threat to
shipping from Iran in the Mideast waterways, crucial routes for global
energy supplies. U.S. embassies and consulates from Asia to Africa and
Europe issued security alerts for Americans. The FAA also warned of a
“potential for miscalculation or mis-identification” for civilian
aircraft in the Persian Gulf amid in an emergency flight restriction.
A
stampede broke out Tuesday at Soleimani’s funeral, and at least 56
people were killed and more than 200 were injured as thousands thronged
the procession, Iranian news reports said. Shortly after Wednesday’s
missile attack, Soleimani’s shroud-wrapped remains were lowered into the
ground as mourners wailed at the grave site.
Tuesday’s
deadly stampede took place in Soleimani’s hometown of Kerman as his
coffin was being borne through the city in southeastern Iran, said
Pirhossein Koulivand, head of Iran’s emergency medical services.
There
was no information about what set off the crush in the packed streets,
and online videos showed only its aftermath: people lying apparently
lifeless, their faces covered by clothing, emergency crews performing
CPR on the fallen, and onlookers wailing and crying out to God.
Hossein
Salami, Soleimani’s successor as leader of the Revolutionary Guard,
earlier addressed a crowd of supporters in Kernan and vowed to avenge
Soleimani.
“We
tell our enemies that we will retaliate but if they take another action
we will set ablaze the places that they like and are passionate about,”
Salami said.
Soleimani
was laid to rest between the graves of Enayatollah Talebizadeh and
Mohammad Hossein Yousef Elahi, two former Guard comrades killed in
Iran’s 1980s war with Iraq. They died in Operation Dawn 8, in which
Soleimani also took part. It was a 1986 amphibious assault that cut Iraq
off from the Persian Gulf and led to the end of the war that killed 1
million.
The
funeral processions in major cities over three days have been an
unprecedented honor for Soleimani, seen by Iranians as a national hero
for his work leading the Guard’s expeditionary Quds Force.
The
U.S. blames him for killing U.S. troops in Iraq and accused him of
plotting new attacks just before he was killed. Soleimani also led
forces supporting Syrian President Bashar Assad in that country’s civil
war. Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Assad in Syria on Tuesday
amid the tensions between Washington and Tehran.
Soleimani’s
slaying has also led Tehran to abandon the remaining limits of its 2015
nuclear deal with world powers while in Iraq, pro-Iranian factions in
parliament have pushed to oust American troops from Iraqi soil.
The
FAA warning issued barred U.S. pilots and carriers from flying over
areas of Iraqi, Iranian and some Persian Gulf airspace. The region is a
major East-West travel hub and home to Emirates airline and Dubai
International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel. It
earlier issued warnings after Iran shot down a U.S. military
surveillance drone last year that saw airlines plan new routes to avoid
the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf.
The
U.S. Maritime Administration warned ships across the Mideast, citing
the rising threats. Oil tankers were targeted in mine attacks last year
that the U.S. blamed on Iran. Tehran denied responsibility, although it
did seize oil tankers around the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of
the world’s crude oil travels.
The U.S. Navy’s Bahrain-based 5th Fleet said it would work with shippers in the region to minimize any possible threat.
___
Gambrell
reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writers
Matthew Lee, Lolita C. Baldor and Zeke Miller in Washington, Qassim
Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad and Zeina Karam in Beirut contributed.
