Iran’s U.N. ambassador: Strike on U.S. bases was ‘measured, proportionate response’

Asked whether Iran was finished with its retaliatory actions, he said, "It depends on the United States."

• By Scott Neuman/NPR

(New York) — Iran’s U.N. ambassador tells NPR that Tehran has no plans to step up a confrontation with the U.S. after it fired missiles at U.S. military bases in Iraq in “a measured, proportionate response” to the assassination of Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

However, Majid Takht Ravanchi, speaking to Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep, says Iran is prepared for further action if the U.S. renews its aggression. He also denied the Trump administration’s assertion that Soleimani, the commander of Iran’s Quds Force, had been plotting an attack on U.S. persons or interests.

Ravanchi said Iran had “acted in accordance with our rights based on the United Nations charter” in the attack early Wednesday morning local time that targeted the Ain al-Assad air base in Iraq and a second U.S. base at Irbil with some two dozen ballistic missiles.

“As far as Iran is concerned, that action was concluded last night,” he said.

Asked whether Iran was finished with its retaliatory actions, he said, “It depends on the United States.”

“If the U.S. ventures to attacking Iran again, definitely proportionate response will be taken in response to that attack,” the U.N. envoy said.

In a nationally televised address on Wednesday, President Trump said that Iran appeared “to be standing down” after the attacks on the U.S. bases, in which he said “no Americans were harmed.”

There was reportedly only moderate damage at the bases, leading some analysts to speculate that Tehran responded in such a way as to deliberately avoid casualties.