Middle East
US National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington on September 13, 2023. Photo: AP/Susan Walsh
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The White House on Monday accused Iran of “actively facilitating” the recent string of attacks on American personnel in Iraq and Syria, stressing that the US will continue to defend its interests in the region.
US troops in Syria, western Iraq and the Kurdistan Region have come under rocket and drone attacks by pro-Iran militias over the past week, in response to Washington supporting Israel in its war against Palestinian Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.
National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby said that Washington is “deeply concerned” about a potential escalation of the attacks on American bases in Iraq and Syria, noting that the US has begun taking steps to ensure it has the capabilities to respond “decisively” to the strikes if needed.
“We know these groups are supported by the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] and their regime. We know Iran continues to support Hamas and Hezbollah. And we know that Iran is closely monitoring these events and, in some cases, actively facilitating these attacks and spurring on others who may want to exploit the conflict for their own good or for that of Iran,” Kirby told reporters on Monday.
A group calling itself the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has claimed responsibility for several of the recent attacks.
“We know Iran’s goal is to maintain some level of deniability here, but we’re not going to allow them to do that,” Kirby added.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Monday held separate phone calls with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. The need to protect US and coalition personnel in Iraq was stressed by the US officials, and Iraq’s commitment to achieving that was affirmed by Sudani.
Sudani on Sunday condemned the repeated strikes on bases hosting US troops in Iraq, stressing that Washington is in Iraq on an official invitation to support and train security forces.
On Saturday, Austin announced new deployments to the Middle East “to further strengthen the Department of Defense posture in the region.” He said the decision was made after a discussion with President Joe Biden about “recent escalations by Iran and its proxy forces across the Middle East Region.”
The new deployments include a carrier strike group and Patriot missile defense batteries. Austin did not say where they would be located.
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