U.S. President Donald Trump accompanied by first lady Melania Trump, speaks to the press at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. December 31, 2019. REUTERS/Tom Brenner

PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he does not want, or foresee, war with Iran, after he earlier threatened to retaliate against the country following violent protests led by Iranian-backed militias at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad.

Asked about the possibility of tensions spiraling into a war with Iran, Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida: “Do I want to? No. I want to have peace. I like peace. And Iran should want to have peace more than anybody. So I don’t see that happening.”