Updated January 09, 2020 04:05:32

Photo: US President Donald Trump has made a statement about Iran. (Reuters: Jonathan Ernst)

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".

"No Americans were harmed in last night's attack by the Iranian regime. We suffered no casualties," Mr Trump said during the address which signalled a desire to de-escalate the crisis with Iran.

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".

"The fact that we have this great military and equipment, however, does not mean we have to use it. We do not want to use it. American strength, both military and economic, is the best deterrent," he said.

He added that Americans should be "extremely grateful and happy" with the outcome.

Mr Trump stopped short of making any direct threat of military action against Iran.

He urged world powers including Russia and China to abandon the 2015 nuclear accord with Iran and work toward a new agreement.

"We must all work together toward making a deal with Iran that makes the world a safer and more peaceful place," he said.

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."

ABC/Reuters

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Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, international-aid-and-trade, us-elections, united-states, iran-islamic-republic-of

First posted January 09, 2020 03:55:51