Pentagon Sayeth:
Iran has reportedly joined the fight against Islamic State militants in Iraq, targeting insurgents in the eastern part of the country with McDonnell Douglas Phantom F-4s. News reports state that operations began in recent days, following Iranian ground operations in Iraq.
Until now, air strikes had only been carried out by the US-led coalition. Washington has been quick to reject any suggestion that the coalition is associated with or co-ordinating with the Iranian effort.
“I've seen the reports,” Pentagon press secretary Rear Adm John Kirby said on 2 December. “We have no indication that the reports are not true – that Iranian aircraft have conducted airstrikes in the last several days against ISIL [Islamic State of Iraq and Levant] targets in eastern Iraq.
“It's the Iraqi air space and Iraq’s to deconflict," Kirby says. "We are not co-ordinating with nor are we deconflicting with Iranian military. Nothing has changed about our policy of not co-ordinating military activity with the Iranians.
“Our message to Iran is the same today as it was when it started, as it is to any neighbour in the region that is involved in the anti-ISIL activities. And that's that we want nothing to be done that further inflames sectarian tensions in the country.”
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Iran Sayeth:
Iran is denying it has flown airstrikes in Iraq targeting Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS or ISIL) despite Pentagon claims at least some Iranian strikes in Iraq have occurred.
An unnamed senior official Iranian official told the Reuters news agency on Wednesday Iran has never struck at airstrikes in Iraq.
“Iran has never been involved in any air strikes against Daesh (ISIS) targets in Iraq,” read the quote by the news service.
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