Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Bahram Qasimi said in a press statement that "despite countless American interventions, spending billions of dollars and paying a high price, Trump is forced to enter the region in a completely secret manner.”

"The governments and people of the region will never allow aggressive foreigners to provoke tensions between countries in the region," he said.

"It would be better for Mr. Trump to take a serious and comprehensive look at developments in the world and in the [Middle East] from the beginning of his presidency until now. Perhaps he will learn something from this exercise and benefit from it," he added.

US President Donald Trump arrived in Iraq on Wednesday for a surprise visit to Al Asad Air Base west of Baghdad after an overnight flight from Washington with first lady Melania Trump, a small group of aides, and Secret Service agents.

In a breach of protocol, he failed to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi or any other senior Iraqi official, prompting criticism from both Iraqi and American officials and commentators.

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