Iran has denied having any connections to the sites targeted by the United States in Syria on Tuesday, but condemned the airstrikes as a violation of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani claimed on Wednesday that "The US attack on Syrian infrastructure and people is a violation of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The sites targeted had no links to the Islamic Republic."
The US military carried out the airstrikes in Syria's Deir al-Zor against facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). According to a US military spokesman, eight US fighter jets, four F-16 and four F-15E, hit nine targets. The spokesman added that there were no reports of civilian casualties.
"The president gave the direction for these strikes," said Army spokesman Colonel Joe Buccino. Central Command called the strikes a "proportionate, deliberate action intended to limit the risk of escalation and minimize the risk of casualties."
The strikes in the Deir al-Zor area came even as the United States was about to respond to a draft agreement proposed by the European Union that would bring back the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran that former President Donald Trump abandoned, and current President Joe Biden has sought to revive.
US forces first deployed into Syria during the Obama's administration's campaign against the Islamic State terror group (ISIS), partnering with a Kurdish-led group called the Syrian Democratic Forces. There are about 900 US troops in Syria, most of them in the east.
Iran-backed militias established a foothold in Syria while fighting in support of President Bashar al-Assad during Syria's civil war.
