Iran warns against airspace violations

TEHRAN, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- Iran has warned the United States against violating its airspace, complaining that U.S. helicopters are flying too close to the Iran-Iraq border.

A statement issued Wednesday by Iran's armed forces said they would "forcefully respond" if the helicopters strayed into Iran's airspace and called on Iraq and U.S. military forces to create an established secure corridor for such flights to avoid "mistakes," KUNA, the Kuwait news agency, reported.

"It has been observed that helicopters of the U.S. Army were flying a short distance from the Iran-Iraq border. There is the danger of a violation of Iran's airspace because of proximity to the border," the statement said, adding, "Iran's armed forces will forcefully respond to any attempts to violate the Islamic Republic of Iran's airspace."

The warning comes after U.S. forces used helicopters to attack what they said were Iraqi militants during a raid inside Syria last month, an operation that brought vehement condemnation from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, KUNA reported.