Iran has launched airstrikes against Islamic State militants in eastern Iraq in recent days, the Pentagon confirms. According to spokesperson Rear Adm. John Kirby, the strikes were not co-ordinated with the US military and may be the first of their kind.
"We have indications that they did indeed fly airstrikes with
F-4 Phantoms in the past several days," Kirby told AFP.
It may be the first time Tehran has launched manned aircraft from
inside Iran to strike Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL)
targets in Iraq, Kirby told AP.
READ MORE: US claims Iran is bombing ISIS in Iraq
He said that while the Pentagon has conducted its own airstrikes
in Iraq, it had not co-ordinated the attacks with Iran. The US
and Iran have had unfriendly relationships since the Islamic
Revolution in 1979.
A senior Iranian official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of
anonymity, has denied reports on the recent airstrikes against IS
targets in Iraq.
"Iran has never been involved in any airstrikes against the
Daesh [Islamic State] targets in Iraq. Any cooperation in such
strikes with America is also out of question for Iran," the
senior official stated.
Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said she
"cannot confirm this information on military cooperation
[with Iraq]."
"We provide military support and advice in the context of
international rules," AFP quoted her as saying.
Since August, a US-led coalition has launched a number of
airstrikes against the IS. However, the US has previously
maintained it "would not be appropriate" for Iran to
join the fight. The presence of Iran in a coalition to fight IS
militants ''would not be right for any number of
reasons,” US Secretary of State John Kerry said in
September.
On Wednesday, John Kerry is set to host the first high-level
meeting of the 60-member coalition at NATO headquarters in
Brussels to discuss military strategy against the IS.
Kirby's comments followed Al Jazeera footage of what appeared to
be US-made F-4 fighters, similar to those used by the Iranian Air
Force, attacking targets in the eastern province of Diyala.
Kirby said the US continued to fly missions over Iraq and it is
up to the Iraqi authorities to avoid conflicts in its own
airspace.
"We are flying missions over Iraq, we coordinate with the
Iraqi government as we conduct those. It's up to the Iraqi
government to de-conflict [sic] that airspace."