Reports : Iranian jets in action against ISIL

Iran denies it is coordinating with US- led coalition but
does not reject reports of carrying out air raids in Diyala .
Iran’ s armed forces have denied that it is cooperating with
US-led air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and the
Levant ( ISIL) but has not directly rejected allegations that it
carried out bombardments on ISIL targets in Iraq .
Al Jazeera ran footage of what appeared to be an F4
fighter jet , similar to those used by the Iranian air
force , carrying out air strikes in the eastern province of
Diyala on November 30, prompting media reports that Iran
was involved in the US- led coallition againt ISIL.
The Pentagon on Tuesday said it had no reason to doubt
reports that Iranian fighter jets had bombed ISIL targets in
Diyala .
"I have seen those reports . We have no indication that the
reports are not true that Iranian aircraft have conducted
airstrikes, in the last several days , against ISIL targets in
eastern Iraq , " John Kirby, the Pentagon press
secretary, said .
"Again , you should consult the Iranian government to speak
to the activities of their government . "
'Totally untrue'
Israeli media suggested it was highly unlikely that Iranian
fighter jets would be operating in the same area as the
international coalition without significant coordination.
However , the deputy chief of staff of the Iranian armed
forces dismissed those reports as "totally untrue ".
"The Islamic Republic of Iran blames the United States as
the root cause of unrests and problems as well as the
terrorist actions of ISIL in Iraq , " Iran ' s state news agency
FARS quoted General Massoud Jazayeri , as saying .
Kirby also said that "nothing has changed about our policy of
not coordinating military activity with the Iranians" .
Jane' s Defence Weekly identified the war plane shown in
the Al Jazeera footage as an "Iranian McDonnell Douglas
F-4 Phantom II jet ".
"Iran and Turkey are the only regional operators of the
F-4 , and the location of the incident not far from the
Iranian border , and Turkey' s unwillingness to get involved
in the conflict militarily, indicate this to be an Islamic
Republic of Iran Air Force ( IRIAF ) aircraft, " Jane' s
Defence Weeklywrote.
A US air command centre in Qatar coordinates American
fighters , bombers , drones and surveillance aircraft flying
round-the - clock missions over Iraq along with other
coalition warplanes from European governments as well as
Australia and Canada .
The onslaught of ISIL in Iraq has forged an unlikely
alignment between Iran and the US , which have been
locked in a cold war for more than three decades.
The fight against the ISIL has come amid a US
diplomatic drive to agree a deal with Iran over its nuclear
programme, and officials acknowledge the two sides have
discussed the war in Iraq on the margins of the nuclear
talks.
But the two rivals remain deeply opposed over Syria, with
Iran providing crucial military backing for President
Bashar al -Assad while the US has pledged to train a
moderate rebel force to eventually confront the
Assad government .