President Rouhani:

Pentagon Kept Awake 24 Hours by Iran's Retaliatory Missile Attacks

TEHRAN (defapress)- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that his country's retaliatory missile strikes against the American forces' base in Iraq kept awake the officials at the US department of defense for 24 hours.

News ID: 79906

Date: 16 January 2020 - 21:42

"The United States is oppressing and carrying out acts of aggression against all countries around the world, and some may respond with words, but the Islamic Republic of Iran shook their base for one night and kept the Pentagon awake for 24 hours,” President Rouhani said in Tehran on Thursday, addressing the 59th Session of the General Assembly of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI).

He said that it was very important that we forced the United States to retreat from their threats, adding, "The US president had said that if Iran responded to the assassination of Gen. Soleimani, 52 important points, including Iran's cultural and historical centers, would be targeted, but when the Islamic Republic of Iran attacks this military base, his tone and program change and he officially pulls back”.

Referring to the hard days and the many tragedies and hardships over the past two weeks, the President emphasized, "The people have alleviated their sorrows and troubles by their presence and sympathy, and it is the cultural and national characteristics of the Iranian nation”.

"The enemies created a situation, overcoming which was not –and will not be- possible without the resistance and steadfastness of an integrated nation," Rouhani said.

The president referred to the consequences of assassination of an Iranian military commander by the Americans in the region and the world, saying, "This martyrdom even affected the prices of the currency, oil, and stock markets inside out outside of the country, and influenced the whole region psychologically, intellectually and politically”.

"People from Kashmir to Africa sympathized and mourned his General Soleimani’s martyrdom in an unprecedented move," he added.

Referring to the tragic incident of the Ukrainian passenger plane that killed 176 dear educated Iranians, the president continued, "A nation was stricken with grief and there was no one in the country who did not sympathize”.

Rouhani emphasized that the Iranian nation will not easily be deviated from its goals, stating, "The Iranian nation is a great nation that chooses its way and stands well. Of course, in the path of resistance, there are injuries and difficulties, which is natural”.

Expressing that a superpower has violated international regulations and officially declared that it wants to fight this system and people, he emphasized, "After the US actions, it became clear for themselves and the world that their program was completely wrong. And this is not something to be just inferred, but the US President had told leaders of other countries that the Iranian regime would not resist for more than three months with the new sanctions and maximum pressure”.

On January 8, the IRGC Aerospace Force started heavy ballistic missile attacks on US Ein Al-Assad airbase in Southwestern Iraq near the border with Syria and a US operated airbase in Erbil in retaliation for the US assassination of IRGC Qods Force Commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani.

Ein Al-Assad is an airbase with a 4km runway at 188m altitude from sea levels, which is the main and the largest US airbase in Iraq. Early reports said the radar systems and missile defense shields in Ein Al-Assad failed to operate and intercept the Iranian missiles. Unofficial reports said the US army's central radar systems at Ein Al-Assad had been jammed by electronic warfare.

The second IRGC reprisal attack targeted a US military base near Erbil airport in Iraqi Kurdistan Region in the second leg of "Martyr Soleimani" reprisal operation.

Iraq said the attacks had not taken any toll from its army men stationed at these two bases. The US army had blocked entrance into Ein Al-Assad to everyone, including the Iraqi army.

It was the first direct attack on the US army ever since world war two.

The IRGC officials said none of the missiles had been intercepted.

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