In the wake of the Iranian rocket attack targeting the vicinity of the U.S. consulate in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, which did not cause any damage to the under-construction consulate building, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian ambassador to Baghdad on Sunday and handed him a protest note.
Ahmed Al-Sahaf, a spokesperson for the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, stated according to the Kurdish media network "Rudaw," that "the Foreign Ministry condemns the bombing that targeted the homes of peaceful citizens of our people in the Kurdistan Region in Erbil province," emphasizing, "we consider this attack a blatant and gross violation of Iraqi sovereignty."
Protest Note and Summon
He also added that "the Iraqi Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian ambassador and delivered a protest note, expressing Iraq’s clear position on this matter," revealing that "there are other procedural rules being considered by the Foreign Ministry regarding the threat to Iraqi territories." He further stated, "We will adopt all possible measures and means to ensure Iraq's rights, and we affirm the principle of condemning any aggression against its territory by any party, and we certainly will not allow that, and our stance will be consistent with the magnitude of the threat to our lands."
IRGC Acknowledgment
This came after the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officially acknowledged its involvement in the attack earlier on Sunday. It stated in an official statement that it targeted what it described as "the Israeli conspiracy center" last night, using powerful and precise missiles from its forces. The IRGC also warned that any new Israeli strikes targeting its elements in Syria or elsewhere would be responded to decisively.
Civilian Site
However, the Kurdistan Regional Government confirmed that the Erbil attack targeted a civilian site, indicating that justifying the strike on an Israeli base near the American consulate aims to obscure the motives behind this heinous crime. It noted that the claims of the assailants are far from the truth. The government stated in an official statement on Sunday: "Iran has repeated these attacks multiple times, and the silence of the international community regarding these cowardly attacks will pave the way for their continuation."
12 Ballistic Missiles
The Counter-Terrorism Service in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq clarified earlier on Sunday that the attack was carried out using "12 ballistic missiles" launched "from outside the region, specifically from the east." Iraq, which has extensive eastern borders with Iran—supporting several local factions and militias—often witnesses rocket or drone attacks on American bases and interests.
Since the assassination of Iranian Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani and Deputy Chairman of the Popular Mobilization Forces Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis in January 2020, dozens of attacks have targeted American interests with missiles and drones. Additionally, Tehran attacked the Ain Al-Assad base in the west and the Erbil base in the north with 22 ballistic missiles on January 8, 2020, in response to this assassination, both of which house American forces. While no party usually claims responsibility for such attacks, Washington frequently attributes them to Iranian-backed factions that have been calling for the complete withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq in recent years.
