Summary

  • In the early hours of Wednesday, Iran fired rockets at two air bases in Iraq that house US troops

  • Iran says the attack was retaliation for the killing of top military commander Qasem Soleimani

  • Iran's supreme leader says the missile attack was "a slap in the face" for the US

  • President Trump says no one was killed and that Iran appears to be "standing down"

  • The US announces "additional punishing sanctions" on Iran

  • Meanwhile, a Ukrainian passenger plane crashed near Tehran, killing all 176 people on board

Live Reporting

Alice Cuddy, Matt Cannon and Holly Honderich

  1. 'Biggest test of Trump's presidency'

    Earlier on Tuesday, President Trump strongly defended the US drone strike on Soleimani, saying it was a case of retaliation.

    "He was a monster. And he's no longer a monster. He's dead," Mr Trump said. "He was planning a big attack and bad attack for us. I don't think anyone can complain about it."

    After news of the missile attack on US forces emerged, the BBC's Nick Bryant said it was Mr Trump's biggest test yet, noting that the president had issued a warning to Iran should it choose to attack US targets.

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    Trump vows to hit back if Iran retaliates but says "we'll obey law" on cultural sites

  2. WATCH: Iranian TV shows 'missile attack'

    This footage, reportedly of the missile attack, was shown on Iranian state television.

    The broadcaster said the operation’s name was Martyr Soleimani.

    It said the Revolutionary Guard had launched the attack using its aerospace division.

    Iranian TV shows 'missile attack on US airbases'

  3. Trump in 'work mode' at the White House

    A senior White House official has told our US partners CBS that President Trump is being briefed continuously by his national security team. They described him as being in "work mode" in the West Wing.

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  4. Pentagon: 'These missiles were launched from Iran'
    Breaking

    The Pentagon has released a statement about the rocket attacks.

    "At approximately 5:30 pm (EST) on January 7, Iran launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles against US military and coalition forces in Iraq. It is clear that these missiles were launched from Iran and targeted at least two Iraqi military bases hosting US military and coalition personnel at Al-Assad and Irbil.

    We are working on initial battle damage assessments.

    In recent days and in response to Iranian threats and actions, the Department of Defense has taken all appropriate measures to safeguard our personnel and partners. These bases have been on high alert due to indications that the Iranian regime planned to attack our forces and interests in the region.

    As we evaluate the situation and our response, we will take all necessary measures to protect and defend US personnel, partners, and allies in the region."

  5. Welcome to our live coverage

    This is what we know so far:

    - More than a dozen ballistic missiles have been fired at US forces housed in two bases in Iraq, says the US Pentagon

    - We have no reports yet of any casualties or damage

    - Iran’s Revolutionary Guard say they launched the attack in retaliation for the killing of General Qasem Soleimani

    - Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary Mark Esper have arrived at the White House for a briefing with President Donald Trump