The Iraqi presidency on Friday condemned as “unjustified” the attacks carried out by armed groups in Iraq against alleged US assets in the country, particularly in the Kurdistan Region, urging an end to the escalation and warning that it undermines the security of Iraq as a whole and the wider region.

Preserving peace in the Strait of Hormuz is Iran’s “inherent right,” Tehran’s top representative at the United Nations told Rudaw on Thursday, noting however that plans to close the key waterway are not currently on the table, despite earlier remarks from Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader suggesting that pressure through the Strait be used.

The Syrian government is set to release around 100 prisoners affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) as part of a reciprocal exchange with the Kurdish-led forces, a senior commander of the Kurdish Internal Security Forces (Asayish) told Rudaw on Tuesday. The move comes days after SDF Chief Mazloum Abdi revealed that nearly 1,100 “civilian and military” detainees from northeast Syria (Rojava) remain in Damascus custody.

Four US service members were confirmed dead after an American refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq on Thursday, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Friday, denying that the incident was caused by “hostile” or “friendly” fire. The statement comes shortly after the Iran-aligned Islamic Resistance of Iraq (IRI) entity alleged it had “downed” the aircraft.