President Trump is warning Iran that if they want a fight, it would be the “official end” of Iran. His threatening tweet came after a rocket landed near the U.S. embassy in Baghdad on Sunday. No one was hurt, and no group has taken responsibility. Iraqi authorities are searching for whoever fired the rocket.
With his country caught in the middle of a growing crisis, Iraq’s President Barham Salih told CBS News correspondent Roxana Saberi that he’s talking to both the United States and Iran to keep Iraq from becoming a battleground.
“Iraq has been living through hell for the last four decades,” Salih said. “And certainly, Iraqis do not want to see this country yet again turn into a zone of proxy conflict.”
Iraq is in a tough spot, hosting more than 5,000 U.S. troops, while also depending on local militias – many backed by Iran – for security.
The Trump administration says there’s a heightened threat that some of those armed groups could turn their guns on American forces. To defuse these tensions, Salih met last night with Iraqi political leaders, some linked to the pro-Iranian militias.
“These militias, some of which are aligned with Iran, are answering to Iraq, but there may be rogue elements?” asked Saberi.
“We do have problems with some rogue elements,” Salih said, “and the government is intent on putting those people under control.”
“Have you basically sent a message to cool it?”
“Absolutely,” he said. “We are telling everybody, cool it. This is not the place to have your battles on.”
It was a message he also shared with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who made a last-minute visit to Iraq earlier this month. Pompeo also said he asked Iraq to adequately protect Americans in this country.
“I think the Iraqi government is doing a lot in order to provide the necessary protection,” Salih said.
Saberi asked, “Why do you think then that America ordered a partial evacuation of its embassy?”
“We were not happy with that,” he replied. “We thought it was unwarranted, but we don’t want to second-guess the U.S. government.”
President Salih said authorities have made progress identifying who was behind last night’s rocket attack. But last night, the dust had hardly settled when the State Department released a statement, saying, “We will hold Iran responsible if any such attacks are conducted by its proxy militia forces.” So, the tension in Iraq is ratcheting up.