United States President Donald Trump said Iran appears to be "standing down" and no Americans were harmed in ballistic missile strikes on two Iraqi bases housing US troops Tuesday.
Speaking for the first time since Iran's attack, Mr Trump opened up his White House address shortly after 11.30am Wednesday (local time) saying, "as long as I'm President of the United States, Iran will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon".
Mr Trump also declared the US will impose additional economic sanctions on Iran and that he will personally "ask NATO to become much more involved in the Middle East process".
He added that Americans should be "extremely grateful and happy" with the outcome.
The Iranian strikes had come days after Mr Trump authorised the targeted killing of General Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force.
Earlier on Wednesday (local time), Iraq's foreign ministry said it rejected Iran's missile attack on Iraqi military bases housing US troops and would summon Tehran's ambassador in Baghdad to convey its protest.
"The foreign ministry rejects these attacks and considers them a violation of Iraqi sovereignty," it said in a statement.
"It stresses that Iraq is an independent state and that its internal security is its priority. We will not allow it to become a battlefield.
"The foreign ministry will summon the Islamic Republic of Iran's ambassador and convey this to him."
More to come
