“US Complicity In This Crime Is Certain”: Iran UN Mission On Israel Using Iraqi Airspace For Saturday Attack
Iran has accused the United States of complicity in Israel’s recent airstrikes on Iranian military targets, claiming that the attacks were carried out from Iraqi airspace controlled by the US. In a statement on Saturday, Iran’s UN Mission said, “The Zionist regime’s warplanes attacked several Iranian military and radar sites from Iraqi airspace, approximately 70 miles from Iran’s border. Iraqi airspace is under the occupation, command, and control of the US military. The US complicity in this crime is certain.”
Meanwhile, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran has issued a statement on Israel’s attack and said Israel used airspace controlled by the United States in Iraq to carry out its limited attacks on Iran’s military sites.
The statement, issued late on Saturday, said that Israeli fighter jets stationed within a range of 100 kilometers from the Iranian borders in the Iraqi airspace controlled by the US had fired a number of air-launched missiles at Iranian targets in the early hours of the day.
It said Iranian radar units in the border provinces of Ilam and Khuzestan and near the capital Tehran suffered “minor and ineffective” damage as a result of the Israeli aggression, adding that all radar units have either been repaired or are being re-serviced.
“During this illegal and illegitimate move, a significant number of the missiles were traced and detected and the enemy’s planes were blocked from entering the country’s airspace,” said the statement
The Guardian quoted Israeli sources and said the strikes targeted drone and missile manufacturing sites, as well as air defence installations across multiple provinces, including Tehran, Khuzestan, and Ilam. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the operation, codenamed Days of Repentance, involving three waves of attacks. The IDF stated, “This was in response to continuous aggression from the regime in Iran against the state of Israel.”
Iranian air defences responded to the attacks, reportedly limiting damage. State media initially downplayed the incident, showing normal operations at Tehran’s airport. However, the Iranian army later announced that four soldiers had been killed while defending against the strikes. Iran’s military vowed retaliation, with state-run news agency Tasnim warning that “Israel will face a proportional response for any aggression.”
A US official confirmed that Washington had not directly participated in the airstrikes but had coordinated with Israel to minimise civilian casualties. The official described the attack as a “precise and proportionate response” aimed at deterring future threats.
The escalation follows Iran’s 1 October missile attack on Israel, where 180 ballistic missiles were fired towards Tel Aviv and military bases, reportedly in retaliation for Israel’s ground operations in Gaza and the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. In its response, Israel has intensified its strikes in Lebanon and Gaza, leading to rising regional tensions.
US President Joe Biden, who was briefed before the strikes, expressed hope that the attacks would not escalate further, adding that Israel targeted only military sites. Qatar, meanwhile, condemned the Israeli strikes as a violation of Iranian sovereignty.
