A State Department spokesperson said the United States condemns Iran’s ballistic missile and drone attack against the Iraqi Kurdistan Region that officials said left several people dead and wounded.
Iranian authorities accused armed Iranian Kurdish dissidents of involvement and fueling the current unrest in the country, which resulted in the Iranian attack on who they call “terrorists,” Reuters reported Sept. 28.
“We strongly condemn Iran’s use of ballistic missiles and drone attacks against the Iraqi Kurdistan Region as an unjustified violation of Iraqi sovereignty and territorial integrity,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said, according to a Sept. 28 State Department news release. “We are also aware of reports of civilian casualties and deplore any loss of life caused by today’s attack.
Moreover, we further condemn comments from the government of Iran threatening additional attacks against Iraq," Price added, according to the release. "We stand with the people and government of Iraq in the face of these brazen attacks on their sovereignty.”
Iran's Revolutionary Guards confirmed Sept. 26 they had fired missiles and drones at militant targets in the Iraqi Kurdish Region, Reuters reported. The strikes followed Iranian authorities’ accusations of armed Iranian Kurdish dissidents’ involvement in the unrest affecting the country.
Mass protests in Iran have sprung up in at least 46 cities, towns and villages following the death of Mahsa Amini, AP News reported. Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman, was detained by the Iranian morality police and died while in custody.
The AP News report has drawn the connection between the drone strikes and the protests. At least 14 people died and more than 1,500 protestors were arrested. The Committee to Protect Journalists has documented the arrests of at least 23 journalists.
