Hours after Iran’s attacks on two bases in Iraq that houses United States troops, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei addressed his nation considering the firing of 22 ballistic missiles as a “slap in the face” and that military action were “not sufficient” to end the American presence in the region. However, Iran’s authorities said they did “not seek escalation or war.”
Iran dismissed as “baseless” on Friday US accusations it executed twin attacks that left two tankers ablaze in the Gulf of Oman, raising fears of conflict in the strategically vital waterway.
United States President Donald Trump has designated Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organization. It is the first time the US has labelled another nation's military as a terrorist organization. Iran retaliated by declaring US forces in the Middle East as a terrorist organization, Iran state news reported.