DHAKA: A senior Iranian official has confirmed his country carried out air strikes in neighbouring Iraq against the Islamic State (IS) group at the request of Iraqi authorities.

Britain’s Guardian newspaper reported, says The Straits Times.

It quoted Iran deputy foreign minister Ebrahim Rahimpour as saying the strikes were not coordinated with the United States, which is also waging an air campaign against the radical Sunni Muslim militants who control large parts of north and west Iraq.

The purpose of the strikes was ‘the defence of the interests of our friends in Iraq’, the newspaper quoted Rahimpour as saying in an interview in London.

‘We did not have any coordination with the Americans. We have coordinated only with the Iraqi government,’ he said.

BDST: 1724 HRS, DEC 06, 2014