No US personnel, facilities targeted in Iran strikes: White House

WASHINGTON

No US personnel or facilities were targeted in missile attacks by Iran impacting northern Iraq and northern Syria late Monday, according to the White House.

“We have seen the reports, and we tracked the missiles, which impacted in northern Iraq and northern Syria. No US personnel or facilities were targeted,” National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson told Anadolu by email.

Watson said the US is in touch with senior Iraqi officials as well as officials in the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG).

“Iran is claiming this is in response to the terrorist attacks in Kerman, Iran and Rask, Iran with a focus on ISIS,” Watson said.

“We will continue to assess the situation, but initial indications are that this was a reckless and imprecise set of strikes,“ she said, adding the US supports the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Iraq.

Several explosions were reported in the vicinity of the US consulate in Erbil, with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) quickly claiming responsibility, saying it was targeting a "spy headquarters" and a "gathering of anti-Iran terrorist groups" in the region with ballistic missiles.

Tensions have been running high between Iran and the US amid Israel’s war on Gaza and regional developments, including attacks on ships in the Red Sea by Iran-backed Houthis.