WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th January, 2020) US President Donald Trump made no mention of an imminent military response to Iran's missile strikes, pledging instead a fresh wave of sanctions and offering a diplomatic option to defuse regional tensions in his highly anticipated address to the nation on Wednesday.
Flanked in the grand foyer of the White House by the country's top military and diplomatic brass, Trump made it clear that the most feared scenario of a full-scale war can be avoided due to the absence of American and allied casualties in attacks on military bases in Iraq in a retaliation for the US killing of an Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani.
"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.� We suffered no casualties, all of our soldiers are safe, and only minimal damage was sustained at our military bases," Trump said.
Last night, Iran launched from its territory over a dozen of ballistic missiles targeting two facilities in Iraq that housed US troops. Trump said that options in response to Iranian aggression were still under evaluation. He boasted American military might, including "many hypersonic missiles" under construction, but emphasized that it was not necessarily meant to be utilized.
"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," the US president said. "American strength, both military and economic, is the best deterrent."
The only penalty he announced in the speech was "additional punishing economic sanctions" to be imposed "immediately" on Iran.
"These powerful sanctions will remain until Iran changes its behavior," Trump said, demanding that Tehran stop its alleged quest for nuclear capabilities and support for terror across the middle East.
He called on Russia, China, Britain, Germany and France to work together with the United States on a new agreement with Iran, replacing the nuclear deal abandoned by Trump administration for the sake of "the maximum pressure campaign."
"They must now break away from the remnants of the Iran deal - or JCPOA - and we must all work together toward making a deal with Iran that makes the world a safer and more peaceful place," Trump said. "We must also make a deal that allows Iran to thrive and prosper, and take advantage of its enormous untapped potential.� Iran can be a great country."
In yet another sign that US unwillingness to cope with regional realities alone, Trump announced that he would be asking NATO to become "much more involved" in the Middle East affairs. The United States has achieved energy independence and does not need overseas oil, thus becoming more flexible and less vulnerable to developments in the Middle East, he said.
