Iran says 80 'American terrorists' killed in missile strikes in Iraq

A file photo of a US Marine standing guard at Al-Asad Air Base in Anbar Province, Iraq

Tehran: Iranian state television on Wednesday claimed that at least 80 "American terrorists" were killed after Tehran launched 15 missiles on US targets in Iraq.

The state media also added that none of the missiles were intercepted, reported Al Jazeera.

Adding that US helicopters and military equipment were "severely damaged", the media outlet, citing a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) source, said that Iran had 100 other targets in the region in its sight if the United States took any retaliatory measures.

This comes after Qasem Soleimani, the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards' elite Quds Force, was killed in a US drone strike ordered by US President Donald Trump near Baghdad International Airport in Iraq last Friday.

His death marked a dramatic escalation in tensions between the US and Iran, that have often been at a fever pitch since Trump, in 2018, chose to unilaterally withdraw Washington from the 2015 nuclear pact world powers struck with Tehran.

Iran has threatened to strike inside America if the US responds to the missile attacks.

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