A senior Iraqi government source said Saturday that two “very high-ranking” Iraqi officials received a message related to the developments unfolding in the region.
According to the source, the message was delivered to two senior officials, one of them in the government, stating that Washington wanted to spare Iraq from any strikes it might face once war with Iran broke out. The message was received before the war began.
Iraqi officials and first-tier political figures circulated the message among themselves via private messages on WhatsApp. It stated that “Washington is preoccupied with the conflict with Tehran and seeks to spare Iraq any involvement in the military confrontation.”
Alhurra was unable to verify the authenticity of the message with U.S. sources, but Iraqi sources confirmed its credibility.
In the message, Washington asked Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, according to the source, to work to prevent Iran-aligned armed factions from targeting any U.S. interests.
Quoting the text of the message, the source said: “Preventing strikes against our interests will prevent Israel from becoming involved in Iraq.”
Earlier Saturday, Alhurra’s correspondent reported hearing explosions in areas where Iran-aligned Shiite armed factions are present in southern Iraq.
Alhurra’s correspondent, citing a source in Iraq’s Interior Ministry, said the Jurf al-Sakhar area — known in recent years as Jurf al-Nasr — was subjected to airstrikes two hours after the start of the Israeli attack on Iran.
The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) said Saturday that airstrikes targeting the Jurf al-Nasr area, formerly known as Jurf al-Sakhar, north of Babil province, resulted in casualties.
In a statement, the PMF said the area was struck at 11:50 a.m. by several airstrikes, killing two people and wounding three others with varying degrees of injury.
Information available to Iraqi security agencies indicates that Iran-aligned factions have identified a set of targets, most of them in the Gulf region, according to an Iraqi official who spoke to Alhurra days earlier.
Those targets, according to the Iraqi official, include U.S. military bases in Kuwait, as well as vital facilities in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
Baghdad: We Will Use All Means to Protect Our Sovereignty
Later Saturday, the Iraqi government headed by Mohammed Shia al-Sudani announced that it would resort to all means permitted by law and international norms to protect its security, stability and sovereignty, according to a government statement.
The statement was issued following a meeting chaired by al-Sudani at the Joint Operations Command headquarters, attended by the interior minister, the head of the Popular Mobilization Forces, the head of the Intelligence Service, the head of the National Security Service, the army chief of staff, the head of the Counter-Terrorism Service and the deputy commander of Joint Operations.
The meeting renewed its warning against “any violation of Iraq’s sovereignty, airspace or territory, or their use as a corridor or launchpad for attacks against Iran,” just as it rejects its territory or territorial waters being used as a reason to drag Iraq into the conflict.
The meeting affirmed Iraq’s position calling for the immediate cessation of military actions and a return to dialogue and peaceful means permitted under international law to resolve international disputes, according to the statement.
The statement concluded that “those present affirmed Iraq’s firm, principled and constitutional position in rejecting non-peaceful means in dealing with conflicts and crises — a position chosen by our people in all its segments, components and communities, and one to which all national and political forces have committed.”
The article is a translation of the original Arabic.
Mustafa Saadoon
Mustafa Saadoon is an Iraqi journalist who has worked for several international and Arab media organizations. He covers politics and human rights.
