Donald Trump has issued a furious threat to Iran following an attack on the US embassy in Baghdad.
The US president had earlier said he held Tehran responsible for Tuesday’s storming of the embassy by Iraqi militia members and their supporters. Iran, which sponsors the militias, has denied being behind the incident.
Mr Trump tweeted: “The U.S. Embassy in Iraq is, & has been for hours, SAFE! Many of our great Warfighters, together with the most lethal military equipment in the world, was immediately rushed to the site. Thank you to the President & Prime Minister of Iraq for their rapid response upon request.
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“Iran will be held fully responsible for lives lost, or damage incurred, at any of our facilities. They will pay a very BIG PRICE! This is not a Warning, it is a Threat. Happy New Year!”
Washington drafted in Apache attack helicopters and scores of US Marines to reinforce the embassy compound, and called on Iraq to help defend it.
No American casualties resulted from the breach, after which protesters flooded the area and chanted slogans against the US presence. They stormed and burnt a security post at the entrance but did not gain access to the main compound.
It followed US airstrikes on Sunday that killed 25 members of an Iran-backed militia in Iraq, the Kataeb Hezbollah. The group is part of Iraq’s official security forces.
Washington said the bombing was in retaliation for the slaying of an American contractor in a rocket attack that also wounded US and Iraqi troops, which the Trump administration blamed on Iran.
“Iran killed an American contractor, wounding many,” Mr Trump tweeted from his Mar a Lago estate in Florida. “We strongly responded, and always will. Now Iran is orchestrating an attack on the US Embassy in Iraq. They will be held fully responsible. In addition, we expect Iraq to use its forces to protect the embassy, and so notified!”
Tensions between Tehran and Washington have risen steadily since Mr Trump pulled out of the so-called Iran nuclear deal, which allowed the Middle Eastern nation to pursue some nuclear power initiatives. The Republican has accused Tehran of promoting terrorism and seeking to build atomic weapons, imposing stringent economic sanctions as a means of combatting that threat.
Mr Trump followed his furious attack on Iran with a tweet about mixed martial arts. “Just for a little change of pace!” he said.
The US president’s relationship with the Iraqi administration is strained, with prime minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi calling his airstrikes at the weekend “unacceptable” and warning they would have “dangerous consequences”.
Hundreds of American paratroopers were deployed to Kuwait late on Tuesday, according to reports.
