Iran Consul: US bases ‘legitimate targets’ but not yet hit in Iraq

2026-03-08 - 21:04

Shafaq News- Basra Iran’s consul in Basra, Ali Abedi, said Sunday that US military bases across the region are “legitimate targets” for Iranian strikes, but added that Tehran has not targeted American bases inside Iraq so far. “Iraq is occupied by the United States, and the Iraqi government does not have full control over its airspace or the US bases on its territory,” Abedi told Shafaq News. He said Iranian missiles and drones view US military installations in the region as targets, arguing that those bases had been used to launch attacks against Iran. However, Abedi said Tehran is aware that Baghdad does not control those bases or Iraqi airspace and therefore has so far refrained from striking U.S. facilities inside Iraq. “Iran has held back as long as no attacks on Iran are launched from Iraqi territory,” he added. His remarks come as Iran-aligned armed factions in Iraq escalate operations against US-linked targets. Earlier today, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq said it carried out 24 military operations within a single day, targeting locations inside and outside the country. Recent attacks have struck areas around Baghdad, Erbil, and Al-Sulaimaniyah airports, as the confrontation between Iran on one side and the United States and Israel on the other intensifies following the outbreak of war on Feb. 28.