Iran says U.S. presence in Syria 'illegal, condemned'

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman condemned on Friday the U.S. military presence in Syria as an "occupation" and the fresh U.S. airstrikes there as an "illegal aggression against defenders of Syria's independence and territorial integrity."

Nasser Kanaani made the remarks in a tweet, condemning the U.S. justification for its Tuesday airstrikes on Syria's eastern province of Deir ez-Zor.

He censured the United States for falsely claiming the recent airstrikes as direct response to what it called pro-Iran militia attacks against American troops in Syria.

In a statement published on the ministry's website on Wednesday, Kanaani said the U.S. strikes were a violation of Syria's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, denying any links between his country and the groups targeted in the airstrikes in Syria.

He stressed that the continued U.S. military presence in Syria violates international law and is considered an occupation, and the U.S. claims of its presence in Syria aimed at fighting terrorism are only a pretext for the continuation of such occupation.

The U.S. Central Command said in a statement on Wednesday that the U.S. airstrikes a day earlier were launched at the direction of U.S. President Joe Biden and "targeted infrastructure facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps."