The Secretary-General of the "Asaib Ahl al-Haq Movement" in Iraq, Qais Khazali, rejected the proposal of the leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr to form committees to investigate the parties targeting the US embassy in Baghdad, in conjunction with reports that spoke about a warning that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued to Iraqi officials that his country would close Its embassy if it continues to be targeted.
Khazali said - in a statement - that there is no targeting of the diplomatic and cultural bodies in Iraq, and they are carrying out their work normally, but there is targeting the United States embassy because it belongs to a country that occupies Iraq, after the US administration refused to implement the decision of the Iraqi parliament to withdraw its forces.
And he considered that the formation of committees to investigate the bodies that target the American embassy does not serve the national interest, nor does it accelerate the departure of its forces.
This is the first objection of its kind announced by an armed Shiite faction to open an investigation into targeting the US embassy in Baghdad, which was proposed by the leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, on Friday, a proposal that was supported by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kazemi and Parliament, Muhammad al-Halbousi.
In addition, various parties issued statements, including the "Popular Mobilization" and "Al-Fateh" coalition led by Hadi Al-Amiri.
It repudiated the attacks on foreign interests and forces in the country.
Pompeo threatened to close his country's embassy in Baghdad if it continued to be targeted (Reuters)
An American warning
These developments coincide with media reports that spoke about US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's warning that his country would close its embassy in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, in the event that factions close to Iran continued to target it, in a phone call he collected with Iraqi President Barham Salih, last Sunday.
CNN quoted a senior source in the Iraqi government as saying that Pompeo issued a final warning to the Iraqi government to take serious steps to stop the attacks on the US embassy in Baghdad.
A spokesman for the US State Department told the network, "We have announced our position before; the Iranian-backed groups launching missiles at our embassy is dangerous not only to the Iraqi government, but also to the neighboring diplomatic missions and the residents of what was known as the international zone and the surrounding areas," he said.
The spokesman added, "At a time when America is working to secure financial support for Iraq from the international community and various private sector institutions, the illegal presence of Iranian-backed factions remains the single and largest factor to undermine investment efforts in Iraq."
The Green Zone - which includes the US embassy in Baghdad, as well as the military bases that host the coalition forces and convoys that constantly transport logistical equipment of the international coalition - is subjected to missile strikes and IED attacks by unknown parties, but Washington accuses factions close to Iran of being behind them. .