Statement comes hours after U.S. officials said missiles originating from Iran struck in the vicinity of a new American consulate under construction in northern Iraq
Iran's top paramilitary force appeared early on Sunday to claim responsibility for a missile attack that hit northern Iraq, leaving US troops rushing for shelter, smashing windows and new complications to diplomatic efforts to defuse tensions with Tehran. to beget.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a statement via its official SEFA news site saying it launched a missile strike in response to recent Israeli actions in the region, including an airstrike last week in Syria that targeted an Iranian paramilitary group. Two commanders were killed.
While the Iranian military did not explicitly claim responsibility for the missile attacks in Iraq, this statement confirms that the attack originated in Iran. US officials said Iran fired at least half a dozen missiles into northern Iraq. The Iranian group said it carried out missile strikes on Israeli targets. Israeli officials declined to comment on the attack.
American, Iraqi and other world leaders condemned the missile attack as a destabilizing action as the Israeli military stepped up its defenses and US officials pondered how to respond. Kurdish officials said more than a dozen ballistic missiles were used in the attack.
America's top diplomatic ambassador to Iraq, Matthew Tueller, condemned the attack and said Tehran should pay the price.
"Elements of the Iranian regime have claimed responsibility for the attack and must be held accountable for this blatant violation of Iraqi sovereignty," he said.
The attack is the first time Iran has fired missiles directly into Iraq since January 2020, when Tehran fired an equal number of missiles at US forces in Iraq in response to a US drone strike that killed Commander Major General Qasim Suleimani Went. Iran's paramilitary Quds Force. Scores of American soldiers were affected by the 2020 strike, leaving dozens with traumatic brain injuries.
Some leaders in Iraq urged the US and other world powers to respond decisively to Iran's strike.
"Iran is repeatedly targeting the Kurdistan region and the silence of the international community is a matter of great concern," the regional government said. "This silence of the international community is leading to further attacks in the future."
Last week, Israel stepped up its military security after Iran threatened to retaliate for the killing of two Iranian military officers who helped Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Both were killed in an apparent Israeli airstrike in Syria, where Israel has launched hundreds of strikes designed to blunt Iran's military influence across the region.
Sunday's attack is likely to create more regional resistance to US efforts on a new nuclear control deal with Iran. The US and Iran have stalled talks, high-stakes talks aimed at reviving a 2015 deal with Tehran that imposes sanctions on Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
Negotiations have come to a standstill in recent days, raising hopes that negotiators will be able to announce a revived deal soon. Western officials said the deal, which could also lead to the release of American prisoners, was close to completion, until Russia raised a new demand that its trade with Iran be exempted from sanctions related to Ukraine. .
The French foreign ministry warned that the strike could jeopardize negotiations on the deal, known by the abbreviation JCPOA.
"Such actions jeopardize efforts to allow a return to the JCPOA," the ministry said. "Almost a year later there is still an absolute urgency to end open dialogue and stop such irresponsible and dangerous activities."
US efforts to revive the deal with Iran, which then-President Donald Trump withdrew in 2018, drew criticism from Israel and Persian Gulf leaders, who worry that a new deal would give Tehran to allies across the region. Will allow to continue and carry out. Impunity on your own missiles.
At least two people were injured in Sunday's missile strikes, nearby homes exploded, and US forces were sent to cover a US military base in Erbil. At least one missile struck within about a mile of the new US consulate under construction. Erbil is the capital of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in Iraq.
US officials said no American personnel were injured in the attack.
Iran claimed it was targeting Israelis in the attack. Israel has strong ties with the Kurdish region, but Israeli officials declined to comment on reports that Sunday's strike was aimed at Israelis working in northern Iraq.
Israel is conducting airstrikes against Iranian-backed militias and Iranian personnel in Syria as it seeks to prevent Iran from transferring weapons to the Lebanese militia group Hezbollah. The campaign involves placing mines on ships carrying oil and other goods bound for Syria.
In return, Iranians often used the U.S. to compel their Israeli ally. Tried to put pressure on.
In October, Iran directed five drones at the al-Tanf garrison in southern Syria, which is defended by the US military and a small contingent of US-trained Syrian fighters. US officials said the Iranians at the time said in a confidential message to the US that the attack was in response to an Israeli airstrike that killed two Iranian officials in Syria.
In January, there were four rocket attacks on the massive US embassy compound in Baghdad, injuring at least two people, but no US personnel. The attack took place inside Baghdad and is believed to have been carried out by an Iranian-backed militia group.