President Donald Trump said Wednesday morning that he will be imposing new economic sanctions on Iran. The move comes after Iran fired more than a dozen missiles at two airbases housing U.S. troops in Iraq.
Trump also called on allies to "break away" from the Iran nuclear deal.
"These powerful sanctions will remain until Iran changes its behavior,” Trump said. “In recent months alone, Iran has seized ships in international waters, fired an unprovoked strike on Saudi Arabia and shot down two American drones."
The president also said there were no casualties in Tuesday's missile strikes.
"We suffered no casualties," the president said. "All of our soldiers are safe and only minimal damage was sustained at our military bases."
Iran fired missiles at the Al-Asad Airbase and Irbil Airbase in Iraq on Tuesday, where members of the American military are stationed.
Trump said U.S. military forces are "prepared for anything," but for now, "Iran appears to be standing down."
Trump said Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. airstrike last week ordered by the president, was "the world's top terrorist."
"He trained terrorist armies, including Hezbollah, launching terrorist strikes against civilian targets," Trump said. "He fueled bloody civil wars all across the region. He viciously wounded and murdered thousands of U.S. troops, including the planting of roadside bombs that maim and dismember their victims."
Trump said Soleimani directed the recent attacks on U.S. personnel in Iraq that "badly wounded four service members and killed one American" and he orchestrated "the violent assault" on the US. Embassy on Baghdad.
"In recent days he was planning new attacks on American targets, but we stopped him," Trump claimed during his address Wednesday. But he did not offer any details on this planned attacked.
You can watch the full address below.
