TEHRAN –One day before giving its much-awaited response to the European Union’s proposal on the Vienna nuclear talks, the United States launched a precision strike against Syria that escalated tensions without any credible reason. 

“At President Biden’s direction, U.S. military forces conducted precision airstrikes in Deir ez-Zor Syria today,” CENTCOM Communication Director Colonel Joe Buccino said in a statement on Tuesday.  “These precision strikes are intended to defend and protect U.S. forces from attacks like the ones on August ۱۵ against U.S. personnel by Iran-backed groups. The U.S. strikes targeted infrastructure facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.”

General Michael "Erik" Kurilla, commander of CENTCOM put out a similar statement, saying that “the strike in eastern Syria was in response to attacks by Iran-backed groups against US forces in Syria on August ۱۵th and demonstrates our resolve to defend U.S. forces and equipment.”

Iran denied any involvement with the groups the U.S. struck. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani condemned U.S. aggression on Syria. “Kanaani has strongly condemned the US Army’s aggression on Wednesday morning against the people and infrastructure of Syria as a violation of the country’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity,” the Iranian foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. 

Kanaani said the US Army’s new aggression against the Syrian people is an act of terror against popular groups fighting against occupation. He denied any link between those groups and Iran, according to the statement. 

He added that the continued presence of US forces in parts of Syrian soil is against international law and constitutes a breach of Syria’s sovereignty and occupation. Kanaani noted, “Hence, the US must immediately leave Syria and stop plundering the country’s oil resources and grains.”

The Syria drama came at a time when all partners in the Vienna talks waits for an American reply to the Iranian and EU proposals. Iran responded to the EU proposal on the nuclear talks more than a week ago and despite the fact that Washington immediately received the Iranian response, it refrained from giving an answer. The U.S. response was expected to be announced on Wednesday, according to press reports. 

The U.S strike against Syria could be intended to convey a message the U.S. is still committed to countering Iran’s influence in the region through its illegal presence in Syria and other places even after returning to the ۲۰۱۵ nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). This is because the U.S. has done everything in its power to broach non-nuclear issues at the Vienna talks, only to be met with fierce Iranian opposition. 

One such issue was Iran’s influence in the region. But Iran said that its sway in the region has nothing to do with the U.S., which itself is a foreign power.  

But the U.S. recent strike is unlikely to intimidate Iran into accepting regional negotiations with the U.S.

After failing to expand the original JCPOA, the U.S. resorted to weird allegations such as the ones being propagated by Western media these days. 

Concurrently with the Syria strike, a Reuters report alleged that Iran has dropped one of its demands in the talks which is the removal of the IRGC from the U.S. Foreign Terrorist Organizations list. The report also claimed that Iran took a softer line on the UN nuclear watchdog’s allegations against its past nuclear work.

These allegations have been debunked by Iranian officials. Mohammad Jamshidi, the Deputy Chief of Staff for Political Affairs to the Iranian President, provided a similar account. “Delisting the IRGC from the FTO was an American offer to the former Iranian administration to incentivize Iran to accept Regional & Missile negotiations. The US firmly believed that without it there will be no return to the agreement. The Raisi team rejected it,” he said on Twitter.

Jamshidi added, “US then said, removal from FTO in return for forgetting those responsible for the terror attack on General Soleimani. Iran said NO. They then offered ۳ alternatives for the security of their personnel. Iran rejected them and the US backed off. So, who is Dropping their Demands?”