Pentagon Officials Believe Iran Attacked Islamic State Forces in Iraq
U.S. Not Coordinating With Iran on Airstrikes
WASHINGTON—Pentagon officials said they believe Iran used U.S.-made F-4 Phantom jets to attack Islamic State forces in Iraq. It is believed to be the first time the country’s air force has carried out its own airstrikes in the fight against the Sunni militants.
The Defense Department said the U.S. is not coordinating with Iran on airstrikes and expressed concerns that increased Iranian involvement could fuel sectarian tensions.
“The message to Iran hasn’t changed: If you’re going to play in this, then you need to do it in a way that doesn’t further inflame sectarian tensions,” one defense official said.
IHS Jane’s Defense Weekly said footage shown on Al Jazeera appeared to show a F-4 Phantom II jet hitting Iraq’s eastern Diyala Province. In the region, only Iran and Turkey have such fighter jets, Jane’s said, and Turkey’s reluctance to get involved in the regional war makes it likely the jet came from Iran.
Iran has already provided Iraq with ground-attack aircraft believed to be piloted at times by Iranian pilots. The footage provided the first video evidence of direct Iranian Air Force involvement, Jane’s said.
“There appear to be two parallel military campaigns being waged against the Islamic State, with the United States and its allies conducting their air campaign over Iraq and Syria, and Iran pursuing its own military agenda in Iraq at the same time,” wrote IHS Jane’s analyst Gareth Jennings. “So far, this dual approach does appear to be working (at least in terms of de-conflicting the two military campaigns), but should they happen to cross paths over the coming weeks and months it would no doubt muddy still further an already complicated conflict.”