President of Iran: We’ll ‘Kick All US Forces Out of the Region’

The President of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, has said that his country will kick American forces out of the region following the killing of al-Quds leader General Qassem Soleimani. Rouhani made the comments on Twitter on Wednesday after Iran hit two Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops.

“General Soleimani fought heroically against ISIS, Al Nusrah, Al Qaeda et al.,” Rouhani said. “If it weren’t for his war on terror, European capitals would be in great danger now.”

General Soleimani fought heroically against ISIS, Al Nusrah, Al Qaeda et al. If it weren’t for his war on terror, European capitals would be in great danger now.
Our final answer to his assassination will be to kick all US forces out of the region.

— Hassan Rouhani (@HassanRouhani) January 8, 2020

“Our final answer to his assassination will be to kick all US forces out of the region,” he said.

Rouhani’s comments seem to undermine the suggestion that Tuesday night’s missile strikes will be the end of Iranian retaliation for Soleimani’s killing. Many were surprised by the relative restraint of the Iranian attacks, which so far caused no reported deaths.

The Iranian president’s threat may not be a hollow boast. The Iraqi parliament has already voted to expel U.S. forces from the country and there has been a recent debacle about a letter sent to the Iraqi government acknowledging that those forces would leave. The letter was reportedly sent in error and the U.S. will not be withdrawing.

Some experts on Iran have warned that Tuesday’s missile attacks will not be the end of the matter and Rouhani’s remarks will add fuel to the fire of a crisis that could just be beginning. President Donald Trump is due to make an address to the nation on Wednesday.