Iran struck back at the
United States early Wednesday for killing its most powerful military commander, firing a barrage of ballistic missiles at two Iraqi military bases that house
American troops in what the Iranian supreme leader said was a “slap” against the U.S. military presence in the region.
Speaking at the
White House, Trump said the U.S. would impose new “punishing economic sanctions” on
Iran to force it to stop its nuclear program and what he called its “hostilities” in the region.
Iran, in turn, appeared to have calibrated its attack to avoid stoking further U.S. retaliation, giving some early warning to its Iraqi allies to avoid casualties.