An Iraqi police officer stands guard at the US embassy in Baghdad as more police forces are deployed in the streets, a day after several missiles were fired into Baghdad’s green zone.
Ameer Al Mohammedaw | DPA | Getty Images
WASHINGTON – The Trump administration on Wednesday blamed Iran for a series of rocket attacks targeting the US embassy in Iraq and warned of further aggression.
“Our embassy in Baghdad was hit by several missiles on Sunday. Three missiles failed to launch. Guess where they came from: IRAN,” Trump wrote on Twitter.
A kind health advice to Iran: If an American is murdered, I will hold Iran accountable. Think about it, Trump wrote, adding that there is “chatter about additional attacks on Americans in Iraq.”
The president has not provided additional details linking Iran to the attack.
On Sunday, more than 20 missiles were launched at the heavily fortified Green Zone compound in Baghdad, which is home to the US Embassy and other official buildings.
There were no US injuries or casualties in the incident.
A spokesman for the US Central Command, which oversees the wars in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, wrote that Sunday’s missile attack was “almost certainly carried out by an Iranian-backed Rogue Militia Group.”
“It is important for the people of Iraq to understand that previous attacks by the Iranian-backed Rogue Militia Groups killed more Iraqi civilians and members of Iraqi security forces than they killed Americans,” said Captain Bill Urban, a spokesman for Iraq. the US Navy. for US Central Command, wrote in a statement.
“The United States will hold Iran responsible for the deaths of all Americans as a result of the work of these Iranian-backed Rogue Militia Groups,” Urban added.
The Iraqi army said the attack, which caused minor damage to some buildings, was carried out by an “outlaw group”.
The latest revelation comes when Trump withheld his signature on the massive National Defense Authorization Act. The NDAA, which is typically passed with strong bipartisan support and veto majorities, funds the US national security portfolio. It has been legally signed for nearly six consecutive decades.
At the very least, passage of the bill will increase soldiers’ pay and keep crucial defense modernization programs going.