ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The US government on Wednesday said that it would hold the Iraqi government accountable if American personnel in the region are targeted, following pro-Tehran elements in Baghdad warning they would target "all American bases and interests” if the US carries out hostile action against Iran.
"[I]t is the government of Iraq that must ... bear the first line of responsibility in holding any entity that seeks to target US forces accountable for those actions," US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a press conference on Wednesday night.
Miller emphasized that US forces are in Iraq "at the invitation of the government."
"[N]o entity in the region should use this moment to target American interests, and that we will defend American interests and American personnel in the region," he added.
Earlier in the day, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a network of pro-Tehran militia groups, said that if the US conducts any “hostile action” against Iran, then “all American bases and interests in Iraq and the region will be our target and there is no escape.”
Tensions between US-ally Israel and Iran have been rapidly increasing in recent weeks. Israel has conducted repeated strikes and limited ground operations in Lebanon, including the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike in southern Beirut on Friday.
In retaliation, Iran launched around 180 missiles at Israel on Tuesday, sparking concerns of a full-fledged regional conflict. In Baghdad, pro-Tehran supporters hit the streets waving flags of the pro-Iran Iraqi militias, Hezbollah, and of the Islamic republic.
On Monday, US President Joe Biden said in a post on X that Washington “is prepared to help Israel” and to “protect American personnel in the region.”
Tensions have been high between Washington and Baghdad since the latest chapter in the Israel-Palestine conflict started last October.
Iraqi militia groups, including many affiliated with the country’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF or Hashd al-Shaabi), have repeatedly called for the withdrawal of US troops.
The loose alliance of pro-Tehran groups in recent years has carried hundreds of attacks on US troops based in Iraq and Syria in condemnation of Washington’s support of Israel, resulting in retaliatory strikes on their bases by US forces.
The Iraqi interior ministry said on Tuesday that around 12:20 am two Katyusha rockets fell in Baghdad - the first in a garage of the second regiment of the counter-terrorism services and the second in an abandoned yard inside Baghdad International Airport.
Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani ordered an investigation into what he called a “security breach.” No party has claimed responsibility for the incident.
Alina Romanowski, US ambassador to Iraq, said in a post on X that the attack targeted a US diplomatic facility at the airport, thanking the Iraqi government for its “quick response” to the attack. “These attacks must stop,” she added.
About 2,500 US troops are deployed to Iraq. With around 40,000 troops in the Middle East, the Pentagon announced on Monday it was deploying several thousand more forces to the region.
The US and Iraq on Friday announced they had reached an agreement to end the military mission of the global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq within a year, adding that they will transition the mission to bilateral security partnerships.
Diyar Kurda contributed to this report.
