Baghdad - Deputy Spokesman for the US State Department, Vedant Patel, said that Washington warned Iran of the repercussions of attacking US forces in Syria and Iraq.

During his daily press conference, in response to a question about the attacks on American military sites in Syria and Iraq, Patel stressed, "We have sent a loud and direct message of deterrence to Iran about our readiness to strongly protect our personnel and interests."

He stated, "Late last month, on October 26, the US military carried out strikes against two facilities in eastern Syria used by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and its affiliated groups. These precise strikes were in self-defense in response to a series of ongoing and largely unsuccessful attacks against American personnel in Iraq and Syria.

He added: "We were very clear that we would take any steps possible to protect our employees and our interests in the region. In addition, we made it clear to the countries of the region that we are very keen to ensure that this conflict does not spread."

Regarding Iraq, Patel noted, “We raised this matter directly with Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa al-Sudani during Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s trip to Baghdad. The Iraqi Prime Minister described these attacks as unacceptable, and pledged to take all possible steps to stop them.”

Source: National Iraqi News Agency