Finance
Irag: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a surprise visit to Baghdad on Sunday following a trip to the occupied West Bank earlier in the day. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani met Blinken, the premier’s office said, with the two expected to discuss the risks of escalation in Israel’s war with Hamas.
Officials did not announce Blinken’s visit in advance for security reasons. This visit followed a brief stop in Cyprus, where discussions were held about a potential maritime aid route to Gaza.
Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, a series of rocket and drone attacks have targeted military bases hosting US forces in Iraq.
On Sunday, Blinken firmly stated, “Attacks or threats originating from militias aligned with Iran are entirely unacceptable.”
“We will take every necessary step to protect our people,” he added during a meeting with Sudani.
Washington has accused Iran of having a hand in the attacks which have also targeted American troops in Syria.
Telegram channels affiliated with Iraqi factions close to Tehran report that a group known as “Islamic Resistance in Iraq” has claimed responsibility for most of the attacks.
Figures released by the Pentagon on Friday showed that between October 17 and November 3 there were 17 attacks in Iraq and 12 in Syria.
American troops, numbering around 2,500, are deployed in Iraq. Their task is to advise their Iraqi counterparts in the fight against the Islamic State group.
Sudani condemned the attacks and said investigations were under way to determine the perpetrators.
Iraq’s prime minister has repeatedly called for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and has described Israel’s military operation in the coastal territory as a “genocide” against the Palestinian people.
During his meeting with Blinken on Sunday, he reiterated calls for a ceasefire and pointed to “the urgency of containing the crisis and preventing its spread”, a statement from his office said.
Iraq does not recognise Israel as a state and its government is close to Iran, which in turn backs Hamas.
On Sunday evening, thousands of supporters of influential Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr gathered in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square, brandishing Iraqi and Palestinian flags, an AFP journalist said.
Some burned Israeli and US flags during the demonstration, which followed a call from Sadr’s movement on X, formerly Twitter, to “protest peacefully” against Blinken’s visit.
After visiting Israel on Friday, Blinken engaged in a whirlwind tour of the Middle East. On Saturday, he held talks with King Abdullah II in Jordan and participated in ministerial meetings with five of his Arab counterparts.
On Sunday morning, he embarked on a journey to the occupied West Bank to meet Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas. Subsequently, he made a stop in Cyprus, where he held meetings with both the president and the foreign minister.
