Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a phone call today that the United States must not use Iraq as a base for military operations in the Middle East, according to the Prime Minister’s office.
During the conversation, al-Sudani stressed the importance of recognizing that “Iraqi airspace, territory, and waters must not be used for any military action against neighboring countries or the region,” as reported by Al Arabiya. He rejected “any attempt to drag the country into ongoing conflicts” and condemned “violations of Iraqi airspace by any party.”
A State Department spokesperson, Tommy Piggott, said Rubio “strongly condemns terrorist attacks by Iran and Iran-backed militias in Iraq,” including in the Kurdistan region, and urged Iran to take “all necessary measures to protect U.S. diplomatic personnel and facilities.”
The warning comes after U.S. air defense systems intercepted missiles fired toward the U.S. embassy in Baghdad on Saturday. Nearly daily, U.S. defenses have also been intercepting drones over Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, where the U.S. consulate complex is located.
Within hours of the outbreak of the war with Iran, fighter jets and missiles from multiple directions entered Iraqi airspace. Iraq shares borders with Iran, against which the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on February 28, as well as Gulf states targeted by Iranian missiles and drones, which Tehran claims are in response to the American presence.
