Iranian FM Accuses US of Approving Consular Strike in Syria

Iran’s foreign minister again accused the United States of collaborating with Israel on last week’s strike on the country’s consulate in the Syrian capital of Damascus that killed seven Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members, including two generals. “America is responsible for this incident and must be held accountable,” Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told the press gathered in Damascus. 

The British-based war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that 16 people were killed in the strike near the newly opened consulate: eight Iranians, five Syrians, one member of the armed Lebanese group Hizbullah, as well as two civilians. Reporters at the scene of the attack report that the attack did not directly impact the official diplomatic compound. 

Both Iran and the Assad government in Syria have blamed Israel for the attack, while Jerusalem has refused to comment. The Israeli government’s standing policy regarding such covert actions revolves around “strategic ambiguity,” meaning the government rarely confirms or denies its involvement. A day after last Monday’s strike, however, a US National Security Council spokesperson responded to Tehran’s initial allegations, saying that the claim the US was involved is “nonsense.”