Iraq calls Saudi-US attacks a ‘flagrant violation of sovereignty’

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi cancels first official trip to Saudi Arabia in protest.

Iraq’s National Security Council has condemned Wednesday’s Saudi-US strikes against the Iran-backed Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), which killed at least 20 members of the Iraqi paramilitary group.

The council meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, called the attacks on PMF bases in seven Iraqi provinces “a flagrant violation of Iraq’s sovereignty and the sanctity of its lands”.

“An aggression”, according to a statement shared on X, “in contravention of the principles of international law and the United Nations Charter”.

“Any transgression or compromise of Iraq’s security and sovereignty will not be tolerated under any circumstances”, it said.

Saudi Arabia and US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the joint air strikes targeted Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq responsible for attacks on American troops and Saudi energy infrastructure.

The Saudi Ministry of Defence said in a statement that the strikes were “in response ⁠to recent drone attacks” and that Saudi air defences had “intercepted and destroyed several drones that attempted to target petroleum facilities in the Eastern Province and Riyadh regions… launched from Iraqi territory and carried out by Iran-aligned terrorist militias”.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella coalition of self-proclaimed resistance groups backed by Iran, had denied any role in the attacks on Saudi Arabia, saying the Saudi claims were “fabrications” and that “any foolish Saudi action will be met with a harsh response”.

The joint Saudi-US attacks, from the Iraqi cities of Kirkuk in the north to Basra in the south, killed at least 20 PMF members and at least four advisers from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to Iranian and Iraqi media reports.

Iraqi Prime Minister al-Zaidi was due in the Saudi capital on Thursday, his first visit since taking office, but the visit has been cancelled following the attacks.

Baghdad has complained that US-Saudi “aggression has hindered investigation efforts regarding the alleged targeting of Saudi Arabia”.

“We demand evidence and proof regarding the launch of attacks from Iraq, and no party has provided any evidence,” the spokesperson for the commander-in-chief for Iraq’s armed forces told the Iraqi News Agency.

Funerals were held in Mosul for some of the PMF fighters killed, with mourners calling for revenge. There is also anger on the streets of the capital, Baghdad, where PMF supporters rallied, demanding the expulsion of the Saudi ambassador.

In a statement, the Iran-aligned Iraqi paramilitary group Kataib Hezbollah said it would give the Iraqi government until August 6 to demonstrate it can defend Iraq’s sovereignty.

The group said an immediate response to the US-Saudi attack is “inevitable”.