Denies Having Links To US Air Strike Targets In Syria, Iran: Violation Of Sovereignty And Territorial Integrity

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani. (Twitter/Iran Foreign Ministry)

JAKARTA - Iran vehemently denies having ties to the site that was targeted by US airstrikes in Syria, criticizing it as a violation of its sovereignty.

"The US attack on Syrian infrastructure and people is a violation of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said.

"The targeted sites have no ties to the Islamic Republic (Iran)," he stressed.

As previously reported, the United States military announced that it had carried out air strikes on the facilities of a group affiliated with the elite Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), in Deir al-Zor on Tuesday.

The US military's Central Command (Centcom) said in a statement the strikes were aimed at protecting US troops from attacks by Iran-backed groups.

"The president provided direction for this attack," said Army spokesman Colonel Joe Buccino.

Central Command called the attack a "proportional and deliberate action, intended to limit the risk of escalation and minimize the risk of casualties."

The statement on Tuesday's US strike did not say whether there were casualties, did not say whether the airstrikes were carried out by manned or unmanned aircraft.