Iraq Cites 'Unforeseen Consequences’ of Strikes in Region as US Lashes out at Iran

The Iraqi and Iranian foreign ministers released statements criticizing the destabilizing potential of the US’ retaliatory blitz in the Middle East as the United States seeks revenge for an attack on its base near the Syria-Jordan border.

Iran and Iraq released statements over the weekend condemning the US’ retaliatory blitz in the region, which has killed some 40 people.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani called the strikes, which hit targets in Syria and Iraq, “another adventure and strategic mistake by the American government, which will have no result other than the escalation of tension and instability in the region.”

Meanwhile Iraqi spokesman Bassem al-Awadi criticized the attacks as an infringement against Iraqi sovereignty; the country’s parliament passed a resolution in 2020 calling for US-led coalition forces to leave Iraq.

“Iraq reiterates its refusal to let its lands be an arena for settling scores, and all parties must realize this,” said al-Awadi. “Our country’s land and sovereignty are not the appropriate place to send messages and show force between opponents.”

“At the same time, we affirm that the presence of the international coalition, which has deviated from the tasks assigned to it and the mandate granted to it, has become a reason for threatening security and stability in Iraq and a justification for involving Iraq in regional and international conflicts,” he added. American forces have operated in Iraq since 2003 amidst US military action in the region that has contributed to at least 4.5 million deaths, according to a recent study.

The United States also continues to maintain an illegal presence in Syria in a regime change effort against President Bashar al-Assad as some 500,000 people have been killed in the country’s civil war.

“The Iraqi government will make every effort required by moral, national, and constitutional responsibility to protect our land, our cities, and the lives of our children in all types of armed forces,” said al-Awadi.

Biden administration officials said the recent US strikes were targeted against Iran’s covert Islamic Revolutionary Guard Quds Force. The White House claimed the US consulted with members of the Iraqi government before the attacks, but al-Awadi denied Iraqi officials had been given prior warning.

Relations between the United States and Iran have reportedly deteriorated over the last week as the US has blamed Iran for an attack near the Syria-Jordan border last week that killed three US troops.

“I do hold… them [Iran] responsible in the sense that they’re supplying the weapons to the people who did it,” said President Biden Tuesday.

The United States continues to supply weapons to Israel as the country’s military action in Gaza has killed over 27,000.

Kanaani identified “the occupation of the Israeli regime” as the underlying cause of recent and ongoing tensions in the Middle East, blasting “the genocide of the Palestinians with the unlimited support of the United States.”