Iran claims missile barrage near U. S. consulate in Iraq

Iraq's Foreign Ministry on Sunday summoned Iran's ambassador to protest the attack, calling it a flagrant violation of the country's sovereignty

Iran claimed responsibility on March 13 for a missile barrage that struck near a sprawling U. S. consulate complex in northern Iraq, saying it was retaliation for an Israeli strike in Syria that killed two members of its Revolutionary Guard earlier this week.

Iraq's Foreign Ministry on Sunday summoned Iran's ambassador to protest the attack, calling it a flagrant violation of the country's sovereignty. No injuries were reported in Sunday's attack on the city of Erbil, which marked a significant escalation between the U. S. and Iran.

Hostility between the longtime foes has often played out in Iraq, whose government is allied with both th countries. The attack drew harsh condemnation from the Iraqi government, which called it a “violation of international law and norms” and demanded an explanation from the Iranian leadership.

Iraq's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmad al-Sahhaf told The Associated Press that the Ministry summoned the Iranian ambassador, Iraj Masjedi, to deliver the diplomatic protest. The United States strongly condemned the strike and said it was an unjustified attack on a civilian residence.

“We will support the Government of Iraq in holding Iran accountable and we will support our partners throughout the Middle East in confronting similar threats from Iran,” the White House national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, said in a statement. “The United States of America stands behind the full sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Iraq.” No U. S. facilities were damaged or personnel injured, State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters in Washington. “The U. S. had no indication that the attack was directed at the United States,” he said.

Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard said on its website that it attacked what it described as an Israeli spy centre in Erbil. It did not elaborate, but in a statement said Israel had been on the offensive, citing the recent strike that killed two members of the Revolutionary Guard.

The semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted an unnamed source as saying Iran fired 10 Fateh missiles, including several Fateh-110 missiles, which have a range of about 300km (186 miles).