TEHRAN – A media expert has said that a number of certain Western media outlets are making efforts to downplay the significance of Iran’s missile attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq.

The attacks were carried out on Wednesday morning in retaliation to the assassination of a top Iranian commander in Baghdad on January 3.

“After the initial shock of the Iranian lightning strikes, some Western media tried to minimize the magnitude of Iran’s action,” the expert told the Tehran Times on condition of anonymity. 

Such media outlets in fact followed Donald Trump’s initial comment on the strikes who claimed “all is well!”, the source said. 

After Iran’s retaliatory attacks, Trump tweeted, “All is well! Missiles launched from Iran at two military bases located in Iraq. Assessment of casualties & damages taking place now. So far, so good! We have the most powerful and well equipped military anywhere in the world, by far! I will be making a statement tomorrow morning.”

Trump’s remarks have come under fire by some U.S. political figures. Wendy Sherman, lead negotiator on the Iran nuclear deal, denounced Trump’s big-headed comment who claimed “All is well”.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar said: “All is not well” with Iran, despite Trump’s tweet.

CNN quoted a U.S. official as saying that there were no initial reports of any U.S. casualties, but an assessment of the impact of the strikes is underway. 

“A preliminary report from an Iraqi security source indicated there were Iraqi casualties, but Iraqi security officials later told CNN there were no casualties among Iraqi security forces,” the official said. 

The attack comes just a few days after the U.S. killed General Qassem Soleimani in an airstrike in the Iraqi capital. The action was an act of war against Iran. 

In a statement, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, an elite wing of the Iranian military, said the attacks were a “hard revenge” for the death of General Soleimani. 

The IRGC warned in the statement that any country housing U.S. troops could be subject to “hostile and aggressive acts” and called on American citizens to demand the government remove troops from the region.

Several Western media reported that the Iranian missiles struck areas of the al-Asad base which were not populated by Americans. 

However, Iran’s television said over 80 U.S. forces are reportedly killed in the missile strikes, citing a source close to the IRGC. 

Trump visited the base in December 2018 after Christmas. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence also visited the base in November 2019.

AFM/PA