Trump returns to “maximum pressure,” avoids military confrontation following Iranian strike
by Jordan Hilger, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – President Trump announced that the US would not be responding militarily to a barrage of 16 missiles launched from Iran in the early hours of the morning Wednesday that hit Ain al-Asad airbase in Iraq and damaged aircraft hangers and a US helicopter.
Though both the US and Iran confirmed that the missiles had originated in Iran, Trump struck a more diplomatic note in his televised address later Wednesday morning, seeming to want to return to the “maximum pressure” policy the US has applied to the Islamic Republic in recent months.
“As we continue to evaluate options in response to Iranian aggression, the United States will immediately impose additional punishing economic sanctions on the Iranian regime,” Trump said. “These powerful sanctions will remain until Iran changes its behavior.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted afterwards that Iran had “concluded proportionate measures in self-defense,” though Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was quite vocal that the attack had not been enough to avenge the death of foreign operations mastermind Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US airstrike last week.