The Revolutionary Guards, Tehran’s ideological army, on Sunday claimed responsibility for firing missiles at the northern Iraqi city of Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Regional Government. The missiles landed in an area near the US consulate without causing any casualties. The guards say they aimed “the strategic center of the Zionist conspiracy” (the Israelis, in official Iranian jargon) in Erbil in retaliation for “recent crimes” of Israel. On March 7, two senior members of the Revolutionary Guards (Pasdaran) were killed in Israeli attacks on Syrian territory, which this elite unit had promised to retaliate.
On Sunday, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told US broadcaster CBS News that the missile attack did not hit any US facilities or US citizens. The Kurdistan24 satellite TV channel, located near the US consulate, said it suffered damage from the attack. Sullivan said Washington was negotiating with the Iraqi government to help it better defend its cities against missile strikes. The Iraqi Foreign Ministry summoned the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Baghdad, Iraj Masjedi, the same day to protest against the attack on its territory.
Significant escalation
Iranian leaders and soldiers have on several occasions in the past denounced the presence of Israeli intelligence services in the region of Iraqi Kurdistan, which Kurdish officials reject. On Sunday, Erbil Governor Oumid Khushnaw once again denied any Israeli presence in the region, calling Tehran’s allegations a ” unfounded “. On Monday, Israel had still not reacted to Iranian statements.
The Iranian strike in northern Iraq and Tehran’s open claim to it mark a significant escalation in the face-off between Washington and Tehran. The indirect confrontation between these long-standing enemies has often played out in Iraq, a country whose government is allied with the two countries. Sunday’s attack comes as talks in Vienna to revive the 2015 Tehran nuclear deal mark a ” pause “, since March 11, due to requests from Moscow. Russia is demanding a guarantee from the United States that, in the event of an agreement, the sanctions imposed on Moscow in reaction to the invasion of Ukraine will not affect its commercial relations with Iran. A position that some observers describe as ” held ostage “ from “ nuclear deal.
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