President Donald Trump claimed victory over Iran on Wednesday after taking the US to the brink of war by ordering the assassination of Iran’s top military general, Qassem Soleimani.
Flanked by Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Vice President Mike Pence, Trump confirmed that an Iranian missile attack on US forces late Tuesday did not result in any American casualties and said Iran “appears to be standing down.”
Iran launched more than 20 missiles at two US-occupied Iraqi bases in response to Soleimani’s killing.
“I’m pleased to inform you, the American people should be extremely grateful and happy no Americans were harmed in last night’s attack by the Iranian regime,” Trump said. He added that there was only minimal damage to the installations.
Following Trump’s speech, a host of right-wing media figures and pundits lauded the president for what they said was his de-escalation of the conflict with Iran. A “straight news” anchor on Fox suggested those who’ve criticized Trump’s escalation with Iran are “deranged.”
“There’s this sense that the president doesn’t get credit when something goes right,” Fox host Bret Baier said Wednesday. “You wonder whether Trump derangement syndrome factors in to some of the responses you hear here in Washington.”
But they seemed to ignore the fact that Trump’s own actions were what prompted tensions between the US and Iran to go from hot to boiling in a matter of days.
Trump’s decision to order Soleimani’s assassination was almost universally condemned after it was publicly announced.
Among the first to react was the United Kingdom, historically the United States’ closest ally.
The foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, said in a statement on Friday that conflict with Iran “is in none of our interests” and urged “all parties to de-escalate.”
Other UK leaders also criticized the US for not consulting it before carrying out the strike.
Tom Tugendhat, Raab’s Conservative Party colleague and the chair of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, told the BBC that “the purpose of having allies is that we can surprise our enemies and not each other.”
He added that “it’s been a pattern, sadly, which has been a bit of a shame, that the US administration of late has not shared with us and that is a matter of concern.”