winston_rnz.jpg Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters. Photo: RNZActing Prime Minister Winston Peters has again called for calm and diplomacy following Iranian missile strikes on bases housing United States troops in Iraq, but confirmed New Zealand's base in the country was not hit. United States officials have confirmed more than a dozen surface-to-surface missiles had been fired at two Iraqi military bases, with Iranian state television describing it as a revenge attack over the killing of top military commander Qassem Soleimani in an air strike by the United States. "The Government has been informed that all New Zealand personnel are as safe as they can be in these developing circumstances," he said. New Zealand Defence Minister Ron Mark learned of the attack on US bases from media on Wednesday, with the news breaking as he spoke to reporters.

Source: Otago Daily Times January 08, 2020 01:52 UTC