The latest U.S. airstrikes on Iranian-backed militia groups come at a delicate time for Washington and Tehran, with a conservative president-elect in Iran and talks expected to restart shortly on reviving a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
U.S. President Joe Biden ordered strikes on "operational and weapons storage facilities at two locations in Syria and one location in Iraq” on Sunday evening Washington time to deter future attacks on U.S. interests in Iraq, where the U.S. is aiding government forces in efforts to defeat Islamic State, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.
Kirby’s statement made clear that Iran was the common denominator in the targets but also that the U.S. move was meant to be defensive in nature.