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Iran's ballistic missile attacks on two Iraqi military bases housing US and British troops were a "slap in the face" to America, Tehran's supreme leader says.

Tehran launched more than a dozen missiles at the al-Asad and Erbil bases in the early hours of Wednesady in revenge for America's assassination of General Qassem Soleimani.

There were no reports of casualties as Iranian state TV claimed 80 "American terrorists" had been killed and US helicopters and military equipment damaged, without providing any evidence to back up its claims.

It is said that a runway used by US military planes and an aircraft at al-Asad were destroyed.

The UK's Ministry of Defence said there have been no British casualties and US President Donald Trump tweeted that an assessment of casualties and damage from the strikes was underway, adding: "All is well!"

For the latest updates from the Iran crisis follow our live blog.

(Image: Twitter)

Iranian state TV said Tehran had fired 15 missiles at US targets in Iraq in the early hours of Wednesday, five days after the US killed General Soleimani, a top military chief, in a drone strike near Baghdad's airport.

Iraq said 22 missiles were fired.

Two of the missiles aimed at Erbil, in the north, were hit in mid-air by local air defence systems, the Daily Mirror was told.

Photos show fragments of an unexploded Iranian missile near al-Asad and residents of Duhok in Iraq gathered round a crater and holding shrapnel from a projectile.

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(Image: REUTERS)

Britain's Foreign Office has condemned the Iranian strikes, which have stoked fears of a new war in the Middle East and were reportedly called Operation Martyr Soleimani in Tehran.

The bases house US-led coalition troops who are involved in the fight against ISIS and other missions.

The UK has about 400 troops in Iraq, while the US has more than 5,000.

France, Germany, Denmark, Norway and Poland said none of their troops in Iraq were killed or injured. Iraq also said there were no casualties in its forces.

(Image: Fars)

In a televised address, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who wept over General Soleimani's coffin on Monday, hailed the strikes as "successful" and he told the US to pull its troops out of the region.

Describing the missile strikes as a "slap on the face" for Washington, he said: "Military action like this is not sufficient. What is important is ending the corrupting presence of America in the region.

"This region will not accept the presence of America."

He also ruled out any resumption of talks with Washington on a 2015 nuclear deal that the Trump administration backed out of.

(Image: REUTERS)

The US has imposed tough new sanctions, driving down Iran's oil exports and hammering its economy, and Iran has been scaling back its commitments to the deal.

The supreme leader also accused the US of trying to remove Lebanon's Iranian-aligned movement Hezbollah - designated a terror organisation by America and Britain- in an effort to help Israel.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Washington "cut off the arm" of General Soleimani but he vowed America's "leg" in the Middle East would be cut off in response.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said Wednesday's strikes were "legitimate self-defence" and Iran would respond accordingly if the US retaliated.

(Image: Twitter)

Iran for days had warned that it would retaliate over the assassination of high-ranking General Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force, a unit of the Revolutionary Guards.

America and its allies in the Middle East had been bracing for an attack, with Washington telling the world that it was not interested in war and it had killed the general because he was planning fresh strikes on US interests.

A Kurdish local told the Daily Mirror as the strikes got underway: “We have been waiting for this – there was a big explosion in Erbil now and everyone believes the war has started.

“This is what we have all feared would happen. We don't know what it is but it was very loud.”

(Image: REUTERS)

The attack on “soft target” Erbil, in the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan, would be a huge blow to peace hopes and the ongoing battle against ISIS.

Kurdish forces across Iraq and neighbouring Syria have played a lead role in smashing the jihadist network but now they will be sucked into the conflict with Iranian forces.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard confirmed it was behind the revenge attacks and warned the US and regional allies against retaliating.

A a Guard commander told a local TV network the missile attacks were the first step and Tehran will not spare Americans.

In the aftermath, footage showed a mob chanting "Death to England" and "Death to Israel" as a Revolutionary Guard official announced the strikes.

Amid the chaos, the US president wrote on Twitter "So far, so good!" and "All is well!"

Mr Trump was expected to give an update later on Wednesday.

America's allies, including Britain, condemned the missile strikes as China urged the US and Iran to exercise restraint.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: "We condemn this attack on Iraqi military bases hosting Coalition - including British - forces.

“We are concerned by reports of casualties and use of ballistic missiles.

(Image: via REUTERS)

“We urge Iran not to repeat these reckless and dangerous attacks, and instead to pursue urgent de-escalation.

“A war in the Middle East would only benefit Daesh [ISIS] and other terrorist groups.”

Iranian state media said the Revolutionary Guard had "readied all of its underground missile depots".

In Washington, a statement from the Pentagon said: "In recent days and in response to Iranian threats and actions, the Department of Defense has taken all appropriate measures to safeguard our personnel and partners. These bases have been on high alert due to indications that the Iranian regime planned to attack our forces.

(Image: REUTERS)

"It is clear that these missiles were launched from Iran and targeted at least two Iraqi military bases hosting U.S. military and coalition personnel at al-Asad and Erbil. We are working on initial battle damage assessments.

"As we evaluate the situation and our response, we will take all necessary measures to protect and defend U.S. personnel, partners, and allies in the region."

Al-Asad base is in volatile Anbar Province and has played a lead role in quelling al-Qaeda and Islamic State, the latter of which has had a foothold in places like Fallujah and Ramadi.

It lies to the west of Baghdad.

It is used by American and coalitions troops and was visited by Mr Trump in December 2018.

British troops are based in Erbil, along with thousands of westerners who are involved in the oil industry or have joined the growing security network in the region.

A funeral for General Soleimani, a national hero, was postponed on Tuesday after 59 people were killed in a stampede.

Tens of thousands of people had gathered in his home town for the service, which followed several days of mourning.

In the UK, police are monitoring the crisis in Iran and are "extremely alert" to any effect it may have in Britain, the country's most senior officer has said.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick told LBC that head of UK counter-terror policing Neil Basu has been in discussions with the security agencies and government bodies about the crisis.

She said: "It's a very worrying time clearly and we have lots of people of Iranian and Iraqi heritage and the surrounding areas in London, so there's lots for us to think about, lots for us to be alert to.

"What I can say is so far in London we have had no issues directly associated with this, there was one quite small protest.

"But of course we're extremely alert to what this could possibly lead to, but it's a very complex situation. At the moment there's absolutely no impact on London."

Meanwhile, a number of airlines have stopped operating in airspace over Iraq, Iran, the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

They include Air France, KLM and US and Russian carriers. Lufthansa has cancelled its daily flight between Frankfurt and Tehran.

In an incident that appeared to be unrelated, a Ukrainian passenger jet crashed shortly after taking off from Tehran's Imam Khomeini airport, killing all 176 people on board.

There were fears that British citizens may have been on the doomed Boeing 737 operated by Ukraine International Airlines.

The Ukrainian Embassy in Tehran said engine failure was the cause and it was not a missile attack or act of terrorism, citing preliminary information.