Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed that its barrage of surface-to-surface missiles against two US bases in neighboring Iraq early Jan. 8 killed over 80 US military personnel, leaving some 200 others injured. IRGC commanders announced that "tens of missiles" were launched, all precisely hitting the targets, with none being intercepted.

Yet hours later, in a televised address from the White House, US President Donald Trump denied any casualties, saying the bases had only been slightly damaged. According to Iraqi sources, 22 missiles came from Iran, striking the Ain al-Asad base in Anbar province as well as an air base in the Kurdish city of Erbil.

In the immediate aftermath of the attack, the Iranian leadership prided itself in fulfilling a promised "harsh revenge" for the death of its most powerful commander, Gen. Qasem Soleimani, assassinated in a US drone attack outside Baghdad International Airport last Friday.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is also the country's commander in chief, addressed a crowd of supporters in the capital Tehran with a strongly worded message for the arch-enemy. "Last night's strike was a slap [in the face of the US]," he declared. Khamenei appeared to suggest that more was yet to come: "The US seditious presence must come to an end." He did not elaborate whether Iran will pursue the objective militarily or diplomatically.