Iran Denies Airstrikes In Iraq Against IS Targets

Iran has denied Pentagon claims that it has carried out airstrikes in neighbouring Iraq against Islamic State militants.

A senior official also insisted that cooperation with the US in such attacks was out of the question.

The denial comes after a Pentagon spokesman said Iran had carried out raids in eastern Iraq, but said the US had not coordinated with Tehran over the strikes.

Rear Admiral John Kirby said the US continued to fly missions over Iraq and that it was up to the Iraqi government to avoid conflicts in its own airspace.

He said it was believed to be the first time Iran had launched manned aircraft from inside Iran to strike targets in Iraq.

Iranian military leaders have admitted that dozens of their forces have been in Iraq fighting alongside Kurdish troops battling extremists.

The US has not invited Iran to join the coalition fighting Islamic State and Iran has said it would not join in any case.

Rear Admiral Kirby said: "There's no reason to believe they are not true, those reports that Iranian aircraft struck targets against IS in eastern Iraq.

"It's Iraqi airspace and it's for Iraqis to deconflict.

"We are not coordinating with nor deconflicting with Iranian military."

But a senior Iranian offical said: "Iran has never been involved in any air strikes against the Daesh (Islamic State) targets in Iraq.

"Any cooperation in such strikes with America is also out of question for Iran."

It came as NATO foreign ministers met in Brussels to discuss the threat posed by IS.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said the battle against IS militants would last "as long as it takes to prevail".