An American citizen was killed in an Iranian missile and drone assault in northern Iraq on Wednesday, a State Division spokesperson mentioned.
“We are able to verify {that a} U.S. citizen was killed on account of a rocket assault within the Iraqi Kurdistan Area yesterday,“ spokesperson Vedant Patel informed reporters on Thursday.
Patel mentioned the administration was not releasing the identify of the American out of privateness issues and didn’t say how the U.S. would reply.
“I need to reiterate that we condemn Iran’s violations of Iraq’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Patel added.
In a press release, Secretary of State Antony Blinken mentioned: “We stand with the individuals and authorities of Iraq within the face of those brazen assaults on their sovereignty,” he mentioned.
The American’s demise was first reported by Iran Worldwide, a Persian-language media outlet primarily based in London.
Affirmation that an American was killed within the Iranian assault will ratchet up tensions between the U.S. and Iran and certain result in calls from U.S. lawmakers to retaliate.
Throughout Wednesday’s assault, a U.S. F-15 shot down an Iranian drone that posed a doubtlessly severe risk to U.S. troops within the space, a U.S. army spokesperson mentioned.
President Joe Biden beforehand ordered air raids on Iranian-backed militia outposts in jap Syria after the teams launched rocket assaults on American troops in Iraq.
The Iranian assault on Wednesday focused an Iranian-Kurdish opposition group in northern Iraq, Kurdish and U.S. officers mentioned. Iran mentioned it had launched missile and drone strikes on “terrorist” bases.
Kurdish well being officers in Iraq mentioned the demise toll from the assault was now at 13, and that civilians at a refugee camp had been among the many casualties.
Iran has confronted huge road protests sparked by the demise of an Iranian Kurdish lady in police custody. The 22-year-old, Mahsa Amini, was detained for allegedly failing to adjust to the nation’s strict gown code for girls, which requires them to cowl their hair and put on loose-fitting clothes.
The U.S. accused Iran of making an attempt to deflect blame for the protests by specializing in Kurdish opposition teams in northern Iraq.
Iran has staged a collection of assaults on Kurdish targets over the previous a number of days and alleged Kurdish teams have inspired the demonstrations which have swept throughout Iran for greater than per week.
The protests, probably the most severe problem to the regime since 2009, have been marked by unprecedented defiance by Iranian ladies who’ve eliminated and generally burned their headscarves in entrance of huge crowds, or minimize their hair.
