This archive report was first published on 8 January 2020.
On January 8, 2020, Iran fired missiles at US military bases in Iraq, in response to the US killing of a top Iranian general, Qasem Soleimani.
The Pentagon confirmed that Iran launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles against US military and coalition forces in Iraq, targeting at least two Iraqi military bases hosting US military and coalition personnel.
US President Donald Trump was monitoring the situation closely and consulting with his national security team, according to the White House.
Oil prices immediately jumped on the news, with the benchmark WTI spiking more than 4.5 percent to $65.54 a barrel before receding slightly.
Several countries, including Canada, Germany, and Romania, announced plans to move their forces out of Iraq, while France said it had no intention of withdrawing its troops.
US officials scrambled to deny a letter that appeared to announce the exit of US troops from Iraq, calling it a mistakenly released draft or a fake.
However, Iraq's prime minister insisted that the letter had been taken seriously, and US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said that "policy has not changed. We are not leaving Iraq."
