Iran-US crisis: Why the Iraq attack had zero casualties

US and Iranian leadership stepped back from the brink, with both sides moving to de-escalate the crisis that had threatened to spiral into a new Middle East war. Now we know why the conflict had no loss of life.

• Rocket attacks in Baghdad
• ‘Committed to the mission’: Troops to stay in Iraq

US and Iranian leadership yesterday stepped back from the brink, with both sides moving to de-escalate the crisis that had threatened to spiral into a new Middle East war.

Six days of chaos following the American killing of Iran’s top general settled into an uneasy peace, as US President Donald Trump said he would not respond militarily to Tehran’s retaliatory missile strike on two Iraq bases housing US and allied troops.

It came as new detail was released by the Pentagon about Wednesday’s attack, the most pointed Iranian aggression towards to US since the 1979 hostage crisis, revealing Tehran had intended to “kill personnel”.

The damage caused from an Iranian missile strike at the Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq. Picture: Planet Labs Inc./Middlebury Institute of International Studies.

Mr Trump said allied forces only escaped injury due to their missile warning system.

Senior Iranian commander, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, claimed on state TV the mission was not meant to kill any Americans.

“In the first step of our operation, we did not intend to kill American troops. If the operation had continued, all these areas would have certainly been targeted. I emphasise that our operation was aimed at damaging their war machine,” he underlined. “We could design an operation to kill 500 in the first step, and if they responded, in the second and third steps, we could kill between two and three thousand.”

The US also slapped harsher sanctions on the regime which Mr Trump said would stand “until Iran changes its behaviour”.

“Iran appears to be standing down, which is a good thing for all parties concerned and a very good thing for the world,” Mr Trump said in Washington.

The damage caused from an Iranian missile strike at the Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq. Picture: Planet Labs Inc./Middlebury Institute of International Studies via AP

Surrounded by his national defence team, including Vice President Mike Pence, Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the president also called on NATO to renegotiate the “foolish” 2015 nuclear deal, which he said had enriched Iran.

“Iran went on a terror spree, funded by the money from the deal, and created hell in Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Iraq,” Mr Trump said, blaming his predecessor Barack Obama for enabling Iran.

An image from footage obtained from the state-run Iran Press news agency on January 8, 2020 allegedly shows rockets launched from the Islamic republic against the US military base in Ein-al Asad in Iraq. Picture: Iran Press

“The missiles fired last night at us and our allies were paid for with the funds made available by the last administration.

“Iran is the leading sponsor of terrorism and their pursuit of nuclear weapons threatens the civilised world.”

Last Friday’s rocket attack on a convoy carrying Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps leader General Qassem Soleimani and a senior Iraq militia leader prompted Iran to walk away from the 2015 nuclear deal that limited its ability to develop atomic weapons, led to the deployment of 3500 additional US troops to the region and roiled financial markets.

An image from footage allegedly showing the missile launch. Picture: Iran Press

And despite Mr Trump’s conciliatory messaging, tensions remain high in the Middle East and allied troops remain on high alert.

Hours after his White House address, several rockets were fired into Baghdad’s Green Zone, which holds Australia’s Iraq Embassy and several others. No injuries were reported.

US President Donald Trump said missile warning systems saved lives. Picture: Saul Loeb

There have been several such attacks on allied interests from Iran-sponsored Iraqi militias as hostilities have increased in recent months, including a December 27 assault that killed a US contractor and injured several soldiers.

“Soleimani directed the recent attacks on US personnel in Iraq that badly wounded four service members and killed one American and he orchestrated the violent assault on the US embassy in Baghdad,” Mr Trump said.

Iranian president Hassan Rouhani speaking during a cabinet meeting in the capital Tehran. Picture: HO / Iranian Presidency

“In recent days, he was planning new attacks on American targets, but we stopped him.”

Mr Trump yesterday said Soleimani was “the world’s top terrorist”.

“As the head of the Quds Force, Soleimani was personally responsible for some of the absolutely worst atrocities,” he said.

Iraqi Kurds stand around a crater caused by a reportedly Iranian missile initially fired at Iraqi bases housing US and other US-led coalition troops, in the Iraqi Kurdish town of Bardarash. Picture: AFP

“He trained terrorist armies, including Hezbollah, launching terrorist strikes against civilian targets. He fuelled bloody civil wars all across the region. He viciously wounded and murdered thousands of US troops, including the planting of roadside bombs.”

Iran did not immediately respond to Mr Trump’s address, but earlier its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the Iraq strike was not necessarily the end of his response.

“Last night they received a slap,” Khamenei said.

“These military actions are not sufficient (for revenge). What is important is that the corrupt presence of America in this region comes to an end.”

Originally published as Iran-US crisis: Why the Iraq attack had zero casualties