Shafaq News – Baghdad
The United States urged Iraq to take stronger measures to protect critical infrastructure from Iran-aligned groups' attacks, US Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Joshua Harris told National Security Adviser Qassem al-Araji during a meeting in Baghdad on Thursday.
In a statement on X, the US Embassy said Harris “discussed shared U.S.-Iraq interests, including the urgent need to uphold Iraqi sovereignty and protect critical infrastructure from attacks by Iran-aligned militias.”
Al-Araji, in a separate post, said the meeting reaffirmed the importance of strengthening the partnership between Baghdad and Washington to support stability, bolster the investment environment, and protect foreign companies operating in Iraq. He also stressed the need for continued efforts to promote regional de-escalation.
The warning from Washington comes amid an uptick in attacks on strategic energy assets in the Kurdistan Region. The most recent incident targeted the Khor Mor gas field in Chamchamal, Al-Sulaymaniyah province, when a drone strike ignited a storage tank and halted gas flows to power stations.