ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq  – An Iranian military spokesperson on Friday reaffirmed that Tehran has no hostility toward Persian Gulf countries amid ongoing regional conflict that has seen Iran strike numerous neighbors, insisting that US bases are the targets of such strikes.

“If we target US bases, it does not mean a hostile act against neighboring countries or the states of the Persian Gulf,” Mohamma Akraminia, the army spokesperson, said on Friday as cited by state broadcaster (IRIB). 

“Iran is aware of the enemy’s fronts, equipment and ammunition,” he said, adding that Tehran’s assessments indicate heavy blows have been inflicted on the enemy.

The US and Israel on Saturday morning launched a large-scale military offensive across Iran, leading to the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. 

Iran has responded to the US-Israeli attacks by launching ballistic missiles and drones toward US interests across the region, killing at least six US personnel, while also causing heavy material damage and additional casualties in the countries hosting the bases.

So far, Iran has targeted multiple countries amid the conflict, with Azerbaijan the latest addition, while Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Cyprus, Syria, and Turkey have also been struck, alongisde military bases of the US and the United Kingdom.

The US and several Arab states on Monday issued a joint statement condemning Iranian missile and drone attacks targeting countries in the region, including the Kurdistan Region, and reiterated their right to self-defense.

“These unjustified strikes targeted sovereign territories, endangered civilians, and caused damage to civilian infrastructure,” said the signatories, adding that “Iran's actions represent a dangerous escalation that violates the sovereignty of several countries and threatens regional stability.“

The statement, issued jointly by the US, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), strongly condemned “the reckless and indiscriminate Iranian missile and drone attacks against sovereign territories in the region.”

Azerbaijan on Thursday strongly condemned what it alleged were Iranian drone strikes on its autonomous Nakhchivan exclave as “a heinous terrorist act,” while Tehran has denied responsibility and accused Israel of the attacks.

Baku and Tehran have generally enjoyed cordially relations, with Iran having a large Azerbaijani ethnic minority in the country's northwest and many Iranian officials, including the late Khamenei and current President Masoud Pezeshkian, being of partial or full Azerbaijani descent.