Iran's supreme leader on Wednesday described ballistic missile strikes on Iraqi military bases housing U.S. troops a "slap in the face" while saying that it was "not enough."
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a speech on Wednesday after the attack on two bases said that this "slap in the face" to the U.S. was not sufficient, NBC News reports. The strikes came after the death of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a drone strike authorized by President Trump last week.
"They were slapped last night, but such military actions are not enough," he said in the televised speech, Politico reports. “The corruptive presence of the U.S. in the West Asian region must be stopped.”
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Khamenei also said in his speech that "the discussion about revenge is something else, this was just a slap in the face last night," per NBC News.
Early reports have suggested there were no American casualties in the strikes. Iran's foreign minister on Twitter wrote that "we do not seek escalation or war, but will defend ourselves against any aggression." Trump, who previously warned that Iran would "be suffering the consequences and very strongly" if they do "anything that they shouldn't be doing," in a tweet on Tuesday night wrote that "all is well!" and that while "assessment of casualties and damages [is] taking place now," "so far, so good!" Trump is set to make a statement on Wednesday morning.
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