The U.S. reportedly informed Iran before conducting its first airstrikes against the Islamic State in Syria, and said the military did not intend to strike the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters that the U.S. repeatedly assured Tehran in talks that Syrian government troops would not be targeted in the airstrikes, which began late Monday.
"This issue was first discussed in Geneva and then was discussed thoroughly in New York where Iran was assured that Assad and his government will not be targeted in case of any military action against Daesh (Islamic State) in Syria," the official said.
The official told Reuters that separately from the prior conversations, the U.S. also informed Tehran that the airstrikes would begin.