Have the US agreed to give Iran "a free hit"?

It could be that the Iranian  attacks two US airbases in Iraq in wake of the Suleimani  assassination , is  akin to the US giving Tehran "a free hit".

The Guardian say that

Iran has launched more than a dozen missiles at Iraqi bases hosting US and coalition troops, declaring the strikes to be retaliation for the killing last week of top general Qassem Suleimani.Al-Asad air base in Iraq’s Anbar province, which hosts a US contingent, was hit at least six times, the US military confirmed. The Pentagon said at least one other base in the northern city of Erbil was targeted in the attack which commenced around 1.30am local time on Wednesday (10.30pm GMT).There were no immediate reports of casualties from the attacks and both sides showed signs they were keen not to escalate further.Iran's assault on US bases in Iraq might satisfy both sides 

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A clearly relieved Donald TrumpA clearly relieved Donald Trump struck an upbeat tone in the immediate wake of the attacks. “All is well!” he declared on Twitter. He said casualty assessments were under way but “so far, so good”. There had been reports he had been planned a televised address to the nation, but as it emerged there had been no reported casualties, he delayed making a statement until the morning.The Iranian foreign minister, Javad Zarif, meanwhile said Iran had “concluded” what he characterised the missile strikes as “proportionate measures in self-defence”.It is unclear whether the limited missile salvo will mark a complete end to Iranian reprisals for the death of Suleimani, the head of the elite al-Quds Force, an external operations wing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), or whether the leadership intend further retribution at a later date.It was the IRGC which announced the start of the missile strike in a statement saying: “The brave soldiers of IRGC’s aerospace unit have launched a successful attack with tens of ballistic missiles on the al-Asad military base in the name of martyr General Qassem Suleimani.”Iran launches missiles at US forces in Iraq at al-Asad and Erbil – live updates 

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The semi-official Tasnim news agency reported a second wave of strikes against the al-Asad base took place at around 3.20am. Iranian state media outlets said the country had launched fighter jets but their mission appeared to have been defensive, to protect Iran’s air space.The semi-official Tasnim news agency reported a second wave of strikes against the al-Asad base took place at around 3.20am. Iranian state media outlets said the country had launched fighter jets but their mission appeared to have been defensive, to protect Iran’s air space.The US said it was working on initial assessments of the damage and said both bases had been on high alert in recent days in anticipation of an Iranian response to the Suleimani’s assassination.After launch missiles from west of the country, Iran signaled that if the US did not retaliate, the attacks would stop. Zarif tweeted around 5.30am local time that Iran had taken “and concluded” what he characterised as a proportional response taken in self-defence within the boundaries of what was permitted by international law.

 President Donald Trump insisted “All is well!” after Iran fired surface-to-surface missiles at two Iraqi bases housing US troops.

He promised to make a statement to the nation on Wednesday morning about the increasingly precarious situation with Iran.

So it may be that there was some kind of agreement  that Iran could be sen to "retaliate" as long as no US lives are lost , though it does not take into account any loss of live of Iraqi civilians.

We are still waiting for Trump's response but , it could be that like those in charge in Tehran, the true victims of this escalation, may well be Iraqi civillains rather than American and Iranians.