Real revenge will be to force US out of the region: Rouhani

Rouhani was speaking after Iran struck back at the US, firing a series of ballistic missiles at two military bases in Iraq that house American troops early.

Tehran: Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that the real revenge for the killing of a top Iranian general by the US would be to force America out of this region.

Rouhani was speaking after Iran struck back at the US, firing a series of ballistic missiles at two military bases in Iraq that house American troops early on Wednesday.

It was Iran's most direct assault on America since the 1979 seizing of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, and Iranian state TV said it was in revenge for the U.S. killing of Revolutionary Guard General Qassem Soleimani.

Soleimani's death last week in an American drone strike near Baghdad prompted angry calls to avenge his slaying.

U.S. and Iraqi officials said there were no immediate reports of casualties at the bases, though buildings were still being searched.

The Iraqi government later confirmed there were no casualties among Iraqi forces.