State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller says the US sent a message to Iran urging it not to target American bases and forces after the Israeli regime attacked the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital.
Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday, Miller noted that the message said the United States “was not involved” in Monday’s deadly airstrikes on the consular annex of Iran’s embassy in Damascus.
“I will just say that we made very clear to the Iranians that we had no involvement in this strike, we didn’t know about it at the time, and we warned them not to use this attack as a pretext to attack US facilities or personnel,” he said.
Asked whether messages were conveyed to Iran through an intermediary, he replied, “We have the ability to send messages, very clear messages, to Iran both directly and indirectly, and we do so when it’s in our interest.”
On Monday afternoon, Israeli warplanes bombed the Iranian consulate, situated next to the embassy building in Damascus’s Mezzeh district.
The air raid killed 13 people, including seven members of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) who were on an advisory mission to Syria.
Iranian officials have emphasized the country’s right to deliver a firm response to the Israeli crime.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Israel’s biggest supporter, the United States, should be “answerable” over the terrorist attack that violated all international obligations and conventions.
