On March 13, Iran claimed responsibility for a missile barrage that hit near a huge US consulate complex in northern Iraq, claiming it was in retribution for an Israeli strike in Syria earlier this week that killed two members of its Revolutionary Guard.
Iraq’s Foreign Ministry summoned Iran’s envoy on Sunday to express its outrage at the incident, which it described as a gross violation of the country’s sovereignty. There were no reported injuries in Sunday’s attack on Erbil, which represented a significant escalation in tensions between the US and Iran.
Long-standing animosity between the two countries has been manifested in Iraq, whose government is allied with both. The Iraqi government harshly condemned the incident, calling it a “violation of international law and standards” and demanding an explanation from Iran’s leadership.
The Iranian ambassador, Iraj Masjedi, was summoned to deliver the diplomatic protest, according to Iraq’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmad al-Sahhaf. The incident was harshly condemned by the US, who described it as an unlawful attack on a residential home.
In a statement, White House national security advisor Jake Sullivan said, “We will support the Government of Iraq in holding Iran accountable, and we will support our friends throughout the Middle East in addressing similar threats from Iran.” “The United States of America is committed to Iraq’s complete sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity.” According to State Department spokesman Ned Price, no US facilities were destroyed or workers were hurt. He stated, “The United States had no evidence that the strike was directed towards the United States.”
Iran claimed responsibility on their Website
On its website, Iran’s formidable Revolutionary Guard claimed responsibility for a strike on an Israeli intelligence center near Erbil. It did not go into detail but said in a statement that Israel was on the offensive, citing a recent strike that killed two Revolutionary Guard personnel.
According to the semi-official Tasnim news agency, Iran fired 10 Fateh missiles, including three Fateh-110 missiles with a range of roughly 300 kilometers, according to an unnamed source (186 miles).
The incident, according to the source, resulted in several casualties. Israel has made no immediate response to the charges or the Iranian missile onslaught. Initially, an Iraqi official in Baghdad claimed that three missiles had hit the new and vacant US consulate in Erbil and that it had been the intended target of the attack.
Later, Lawk Ghafari, the head of Kurdistan’s international media office, reported that none of the missiles hit the US base, but that residential areas around it were hit. Following a Cabinet meeting, the Iraqi government in Baghdad restated its rejection to allow Iraq to be used to settle international disputes, saying it had demanded an explanation from Iran’s leadership.
Shortly after the attack, satellite broadcast channel Kurdistan24, which is based near the US consulate, went live from their studio, displaying shattered glass and debris on the studio floor. The incident came after Iran indicated it would retaliate following an Israeli strike near Damascus, Syria, that killed two Revolutionary Guard members.
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency said on Sunday that Iraqi media acknowledged the assaults in Erbil, but did not say where they came from.
The missile barrage came at a time when regional tensions were high. Negotiations in Vienna regarding Iran’s shattered nuclear deal have been put on hold due to Russian demands for penalties on Russia for its war in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Iran halted covert Baghdad-brokered discussions with regional adversary Saudi Arabia aimed at defusing years of tensions after Saudi Arabia carried out the largest recorded mass execution in modern history, killing over three dozen Shiites.
There were no deaths in the Erbil incident, which occurred after midnight and caused material damage in the area, according to Iraqi security sources. They talked on the condition of anonymity, as required by law. The ballistic missiles were fired from Iran, according to one Iraqi official, who did not elaborate. He believes the Fateh-110 missiles were fired in retribution for the deaths of two Revolutionary Guards in Syria.
US personnel also attacked in past by Iranian Militias
In the past, US personnel stationed in Erbil’s airport compound have been targeted by rocket and drone assaults, with US officials blaming Iran-backed militias. Iran and Iranian-backed militias are increasingly threatening US troops and partners in Iraq and Syria, according to the top US commander for the Middle East.
While US forces in Iraq have changed to a non-combat mission, Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie told The Associated Press in December that Iran and its proxies still want all American troops out of the country. As a result, he claims, this could lead to additional attacks. ‘ Last July, the Biden administration announced that the US combat mission in Iraq would be over by December and that US soldiers would gradually transition to an advisory role last year. The forces will continue to support Iraq’s fight against the Islamic State with air support and other military assistance.
The United States’ presence in Iraq has long been a source of contention for Iran, but tensions reached new heights in January 2020 when a prominent Iranian commander was murdered in a drone strike near Baghdad’s airport. Iran fired a volley of missiles against the al-Asad airbase, where US forces were stationed, in retaliation. The blasts resulted in more than 100 military men suffering traumatic brain injuries.
More recently, Iranian proxies are suspected of being behind an assassination attempt on Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi late last year. Officials have also stated that they suspect Iran was behind the October drone attack on an American military station in southern Syria. The incident did not result in any deaths or injuries among US forces.
“The offensive that targeted the dear city of Erbil and spread terror among its inhabitants is an attack on the security of our people,” Mustafa Al-Kadhimi tweeted. The incident was criticized by Masrour Barzani, the Prime Minister of the semi-autonomous Kurdish-controlled area. Erbil “will not bow to the cowards who carried out the terrorist attack,” he wrote on Facebook.