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Tehran warned Iraq often about threats posed to Iran: Foreign ministry

Tehran warned Iraq often about threats posed to Iran: Foreign ministry

missile attack in Erbil

TehranhadwarnedIraqi authorities many times that its territory should not be used by third parties to conduct attacks againstIran,ForeignMinistrySpokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Monday.

He was speaking one day afterIranattacked Erbil in northernIraqwith a dozen ballistic missiles in an unprecedented assault on the capital of the autonomousIraqi Kurdish region that appeared to target the United States and its allies.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed responsibility for the missile assault.

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Iranian state media said the Revolutionary Guards Corps had launched the attack against Israeli "strategic centres" in Erbil, suggesting it was revenge for recent Israeli air strikes that killedIranian military personnel in Syria.

"The central government ofIraqhas the responsibility to ensure that its territory is not used as a base for attacks by third parties againstIran," said Khatibzadeh.

"Several times in the past,Iraq's territory was used againstIranby third parties including terrorist groups such as Kurdish militants, the United States and the Zionist entity," he added, referring to Israel.

TheIraqi Kurdish regional government said the attack only targeted civilian residential areas, not sites belonging toforeigncountries, and called on the international community to carry out an investigation.

Sunday's attack came as talks to revive the 2015Irannuclear deal face the prospect of collapse after a last-minute Russian demand forced world powers to pause negotiations for an undetermined time despite having a largely completed text.

Watch |US makes 'new demands' in nuclear talks, accuses Iran of trying to complicate efforts | World News

In another setback for regional diplomacy,Iransaid on Sunday it was suspending a fifth round of talks due this week in Baghdad with regional rival Saudi Arabia.