DUBAI/BAGHDAD: Iran spurned the US president's call for a new nuclear pact and its commanders threatened more attacks, after both sides backed off from intensified conflict following the US killing of an Iranian general and Tehran's retaliatory missile strikes.
The Iranian missiles fired on military bases in Iraq had not harmed any US troops, he said, adding that Iran"appears to be standing down, which is a good thing for all parties concerned".Trump also said it was time for world powers to replace the 2015 nuclear accord with a new deal that would allow Iran to"thrive and prosper".
The new head of the Quds Force, which handles Iran's foreign military operations, said he would follow the course pursued by his slain predecessor Soleimani.Soleimani carved out a sphere of Iranian influence running through Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen, challenging regional rival Saudi Arabia as well the United States and Israel.
"I'm not expecting further direct attacks from Iran. We are likely to see more indirect responses through proxies," said Ali Alfoneh, senior fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. In neighbouring Iraq, Muslim Shi'ite groups opposed to the US presence there also sought to cool emotions that have been running high for weeks.