Hours before the US House of Representatives votes to limit the powers of US President Donald Trump to wage war, signs appeared to ease the violent crisis between the United States and Iran in the wake of the killing of General Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Qods Force in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
US President Trump said Tehran appeared to be "backing away" after the missile strikes it launched on two bases in Iraq and did not harm US forces there.
US Vice President Mike Pence said, "We received an encouraging intelligence that Iran is sending signals to allied militias that they do not attack American targets or civilians, and we hope this message will find resonance."
In Iraq, Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called on the Iraqi armed factions not to carry out attacks, saying that the crisis in Iraq has ended.
The White House stressed that there was no need to respond militarily to Iranian strikes. In a letter to the Security Council, the United States considered that the killing of Soleimani was in self-defense and vowed to take new action "if necessary" in the Middle East to protect its soldiers and interests.
The US ambassador to the United Nations, Kelly Kraft, also said in the message that Washington "is ready to enter, without preconditions, in serious negotiations with Iran to prevent international peace and security from being exposed to further danger or to prevent an escalation by the Iranian regime."
On the other hand, Iran also confirmed in a letter to the Security Council that it "does not seek escalation or war" after exercising its right to self-defense by carrying out a "calculated and proportionate military response targeting a US air base in Iraq."
The statement added: "The operation was accurate and targeted military elements, without leaving any side effects on civilians or civilian assets in the area." The message emphasized that Iran fully respected the sovereignty of Iraq.
On its part, "Washington Post" quoted high-ranking officials in the American administration that Iran had carefully studied its targets during the missile strike to avoid losses in US bases in Iraq.
The officials said, "This step allowed Iran to save its dignity, "and to avoid large-scale military confrontations".
In Tehran, Gen. "Ismail Qaani", the new commander of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, said he would continue to follow the path set by his predecessor, Soleimani.
The deputy head of the Revolutionary Guards, Ali Fadawi, also considered that Iranian missile attacks on American targets were to show its military power and that the American forces "could not move a finger."
President Hassan Rouhani repeated the threats during a phone call yesterday with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, saying that "if America makes any other mistake towards Iran, it will receive a more serious response."
The calls of world leaders have again turned to the Iranian nuclear file. In a phone call yesterday to Rouhani, British Prime Minister Johnson said he stressed his country’s continued commitment to the Iranian nuclear deal.
Johnson also stressed the need to "end hostilities and reduce tensions." Iran said last Sunday that it would abandon its obligations under the nuclear deal.
On his part, European Council President Charles Michel said yesterday that he had spoken with President Rouhani and urged Tehran to comply with the arms control agreement signed in 2015 and prevent it from developing nuclear weapons.
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