According to a statement by the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the acting charge d'affaires of the Iranian embassy, Musa Tabtabaei, "was informed of the refusal of the Government of the Republic of Iraq of these attacks and considered them a violation of Iraqi sovereignty."
The statement further noted that the ministry "calls on all parties concerned to show restraint and not to make Iraq a battleground for settling scores," emphasizing that Iraq is an independent country and that "its internal security is a priority and adult concern."
وكذلك دعوة جميع الأطراف المعنية إلى التحلي بضبط النفس، وعدم جعل العراق ساحة حرب لتصفية الحسابات، وقد جرى التأكيد على ان العراق بلد مستقل، وأن أمنه الداخلي يحظى بالأولوية والاهتمام البالغين.
— وزارة الخارجية العراقية (@Iraqimofa) January 9, 2020
وزارة الخارجية
بغداد
2020/1/9
The move followed denunciations of the attack, which hit two US bases in Iraq - Ayn al-Asad and Al-Taji - by Iraqi politicians.
Iraqi President Barham Salih's office denounced Tehran's "repeated violation of Iraqi sovereignty and its transformation of Iraq into a battlefield for confrontation between belligerent parties," Al Jazeera reported.
Mohamed al-Halbousi, the speaker of Iraq's parliament, issued a statement to "condemn Iran's violation of Iraqi sovereignty and express complete rejection of transforming Iraq into a spectre for settling scores."
"The strikes were definitely a violation of our sovereignty," 24-year-old Rayyan al-Jaaf told Al Jazeera. "What Iran did was the same as the US when it launched a missile in Baghdad to kill Soleimani. Both were assaults on Iraq, yet the government has been mostly silent."
The denunciations followed a January 5 vote by the Iraqi Parliament to expel US forces from Iraq after half a dozen unauthorized airstrikes, including one that killed Iranian Quds Force commander Gen. Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. Iran's Wednesday missile attacks were "revenge" for Soleimani's death.
While much of the ire by protesters has been directed at Washington for its heavy influence over Iraqi affairs, protests against Iranian involvement have also taken place. In November, the Iranian consulate in Najaf was torched by demonstrators.
