Tehran says it was targeting “secret Israeli bases” in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq.
By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News
Iran fired up to 12 missiles at the U.S. consulate in Erbil, in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq, on Sunday.
No casualties were reported, but American and Iraqi officials confirmed that the missiles had struck and damaged the consulate and nearby buildings.
Iranian state media agency IRNA reported that the strike was targeting “secret Israeli bases,” although it did not provide any evidence to support that claim.
Operations at the nearby Erbil Airport were suspended for several hours following the strike, but no damage to the airport was reported.
Kurdistan Prime Minister Masrour Barzani told media that “we condemn this terrorist attack launched against several sectors of Erbil, we call on the residents to remain calm.”
State-owned Saudi TV channel Al Hadath reported that the strike was an act of retribution after an alleged Israeli airstrike on an Iranian base in Syria killed two Iranian operatives earlier in March.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps confirmed the deaths of the Iranians last week, pledging that the “Zionist regime will pay for this crime.”
The Kurdistan24 News station, whose offices are near the U.S. Consulate, posted footage from their security cameras on social media, which captured the impact of the nearby missiles.
In the video, glass can be seen shattering, along with parts of the ceiling falling and the room shaking intensely.
The attack on the American asset and claim that the strike was targeting Israeli bases came as talks in Vienna aimed at coaxing Iran back into an agreement to suspend its nuclear development program stall.
Although media reports in recent weeks had indicated that Tehran was close to agreeing to a nuclear deal, harsh sanctions on Russia stemming from its invasion of Ukraine have caused the Russian government to hint it may throw a wrench in the potential agreement.