TEHRAN – Iran on Friday lashed out at the White House for commending airstrikes on Syria, saying the U.S. presence and its violation of the Arab country’s territorial integrity is illegal.
“The U.S. has described the recent attacks by its aggressive army on Syria’s popular groups and anti-terrorism forces as ‘direct response to the attacks and ongoing threats against U.S. forces’,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani tweeted.
“Fact: The presence of the occupying U.S. per se in Syria and its aggression against the defenders of Syria’s independence and territorial integrity is illegal and condemned,” Kanaani stated.
His comments came after National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the White House John Kirby commended the recent American military strikes near Syria’s Dayr al-Zawr.
“As you heard from CENTCOM, these strikes were a direct response to attacks and ongoing threats against U.S. forces by Iran-backed groups, just like the ones we saw on August 15th,” Kirby said.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry has already denied any link between the Islamic Republic and the forces targeted by the U.S. in Syria.