Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, answering only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is suspected of carrying out bomb-carrying drone attacks across the Middle East. Recently, Russia has started using Iranian drones in its attacks on locations in Ukraine as part of its war against kyiv. Iran has denied responsibility for these attacks, although Western nations and experts have linked the drone components to Tehran.
Revolutionary Guard ground force troops stand while attending a drill in northwest Iran last year.Credit:GRI/AP
The US attack and response threaten to upend recent efforts in the region to de-escalate tensions, as Saudi Arabia and Iran have been working to reopen embassies in each other’s countries. The kingdom also acknowledged efforts to reopen its embassy in Syria, whose embattled President Bashar al-Assad has been backed by Iran in his country’s long-running civil war.
Syria’s state news agency SANA did not immediately acknowledge any attack. Syria’s mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
There was no immediate reaction from Iran to the attacks, which came during the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Iran’s mission to the UN did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Qatar’s state news agency reported a call between its foreign minister and Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser. Doha has been an interlocutor between Iran and the United States recently amid tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program.
Charging
Qatar’s foreign minister also spoke around the same time with Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian.
The Defense Department said two of the wounded servicemen were treated at the scene, while three others and the injured contractor were transported to medical facilities in Iraq.
Reuters, AP
