John Davison and Amina Itsmail

ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters] – Iran launched a surprise attack on Erbil in northern Iraq on Sunday. It used a dozen of its ballistic missiles to take out the capital of an autonomous Kurdish region. The assault appeared to have been directed against the United States of America and its allies.

According to Kurdish officials, the missiles fell in an area near a U.S. consulate. Officials from the United States claimed that no Americans were killed or injured, and that U.S. facilities weren’t damaged. Kurdish authorities claimed that only one civilian had been hurt, and no one was killed.

Iranian media reported that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps attacked Israeli strategic centres in Erbil. This suggests it was revenge for Israeli air strikes in Syria.

Iran’s rare public attack on Washington was the Erbil blast attack in which massive explosions rattled Erbil homes at night.

Iran’s last direct attack on U.S. facilities came in January 2020 when it attacked the Ain Al Asad base in western Iraq. This was in retaliation to the U.S. death of Qassem Soleimani, the Iranian commander.

The attack on Sunday comes at a time when talks to revive 2015 Iran’s nuclear deal are in danger of collapsing after Russia made a demand that world powers pause the negotiations.

Also, it comes just days after Israel conducted an air strike in Syria. Two of its members were killed by the IRGC and they promised retaliation.

“RESPONSE TO ISRAEL”

Iranian state media reported the statement that was issued by the IRGC about Sunday’s attack.

It stated that Israel would respond to any attack again.

According to the Iraqi Kurdish region government, the attackers only attacked civilian areas and not foreign sites. They urged the international community for an investigation.

Protest by Iraq’s foreign minister, the Iranian ambassador to Baghdad was called.

The spokesperson for the U.S. State Department called it “outrageous” but claimed that no Americans were injured and no U.S. facilities were damaged in Erbil.

France’s foreign minister said that the Iranian move could threaten efforts to end nuclear negotiations with France.

Iran announced on Sunday that it would suspend a fifth round in Baghdad talks with its regional rival Saudi Arabia. This is another indication of how Iran has been trying to undermine regional diplomacy.

U.S. forces stationed on a portion of Erbil International Airport have, in the past, been subject to rocket and drone attack that Washington accuses Iran-aligned militia bands. However, such attacks haven’t occurred for many months.

When asked about the attack on Sunday, Israel’s army said that it didn’t comment on foreign media reports and the prime minister’s offices declined to answer.

BATTLEFIELD IRAQ

Since the U.S. attack on January 2020, Iran has not launched ballistic missiles against U.S. forces. This was in retaliation for earlier U.S. deaths at Baghdad’s airport. Although no U.S. personnel died in this attack, many sustained head injuries.

Iran-backed Shi’ite Islamist Militias regularly attack U.S. Forces stationed within Iraq and Syria since Soleimani’s suicide. Washington has retaliated by launching air strikes at times.

Others believe that Sunday’s attacks were retaliation for Israel, and not at the United States.

Hamidreza Azizi, visiting fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs said that Iran “had carried out attacks on American targets and did no shy away in publicizing it.”

This is more to Israel as a warning signal and an indication of Israel’s willingness to show force during the negotiations.

Since the victory of Sunni Islamist group Islamic State by U.S.-led forces in 2017, Iraq is experiencing chronic instability.

U.S. diplomats and military facilities in Iraq have been repeatedly attacked by Iran-aligned militant militias since that time, according to U.S. and many Iraqi officials. Iran denied any involvement in these attacks.

(Amina Ismail was reported from Erbil. John Davison reported from Baghdad. Additional reporting by Yasminhussein and Ahmed Tolba at Cairo, Phil Stewart in Washington and Ari Rabinovitch at Jerusalem. Editing by Louise Heavens. Susan Fenton. Hugh Lawson.