Confirming the involvement of Iran in the war against the Islamic State (IS) for the first time, a U.S. defense official has said that the nation is aware of Iranian bombing activity in the same national airspace where the coalition planes are operating against the terror group.
The official said that the U.S. has its eyes on Iranian activity in the region but is not necessarily concerned with it, reported The Huffington Post. He added that the attacks are taking place near the Iranian border, in a different part of Iraq than most U.S.-led coalition activity.
The official said that he believed that the Iranian bombing is unlikely to stop as long as the Shiite-dominated nation felt threatened by the IS. He also remarked that the activity will not call for a response from the U.S. unless the nation presents an immediate threat to the forces in the air.
The defense officer said that pushing back Iran's presence in Iraq's airspace is not an option for the U.S. because of the relationship shared by the two nations. Iran had provided assistance to Iraq to tackle the IS threat months before the U.S. started a campaign targeting the group.
Reports had earlier suggested that Iran was providing military assistance to the Iraqi government but the officer's comments represent the first confirmation of the involvement of Iranian troops in the fight against the IS.
The White House declined to comment on the statement.