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An Iraqi police officer stands guard near the US embassy in Baghdad, as more police are deployed on the streets, a day after several rockets were fired at Baghdad’s green zone.
Ameer Al Mohammedaw | DPA | Getty Images
WASHINGTON – The Trump administration on Wednesday blamed Iran for a series of rocket attacks targeting the U.S. embassy in Iraq and warned of further assaults.
“Our embassy in Baghdad was hit on Sunday by several rockets. Three rockets could not be launched. Guess where they came from: IRAN,” Trump wrote on Twitter.
“Some friendly health advice to Iran: If an American is killed, I will hold Iran accountable. Think about it,” Trump wrote, adding that there was “chatter of additional attacks on Americans in Iraq”.
The president did not provide any additional details linking Iran to the attack.
On Sunday, more than 20 rockets were launched at the heavily fortified Green Zone compound in Baghdad, where the United States Embassy is located, along with other official buildings.
No Americans were injured or victims of the incident.
A spokesman for the US Central Command, which oversees the wars in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, wrote that Sunday’s rocket attack “was almost certainly carried out by a group of rogue militias backed by Iran “.
“It is important for the Iraqi people to understand that past attacks by Iranian-backed rogue militia groups have killed more Iraqi civilians and members of the Iraqi security forces than Americans,” the captain said. US Navy Bill Urban, a spokesperson for the US Central Command, wrote in a statement.
“The United States will hold Iran responsible for the deaths of any American resulting from the work of these rogue Iranian-backed militia groups,” Urban added.
The Iraqi military said the attack, which caused minor damage to some of the buildings, was carried out by an “outlaw group”.
The latest revelation comes as Trump withheld his signature on the colossal National Defense Authorization Act. The NDAA, which typically passes with strong bipartisan support and veto-proof majorities, funds the United States’ national security portfolio. It has been promulgated for nearly six consecutive decades.
Passage of the bill, at a minimum, secures salary increases for soldiers and keeps critical defense modernization programs running.
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