US signs consulate in Basra, citing violence backed by Iran: NPR

The state department temporarily closes the US consulate in Basra, southern Iraq, and evacuates all diplomats in office following a rocket attack early Friday morning.

Although there have been no casualties, the concerns in Washington have increased. This decision concerns the security of US personnel stationed in this Iraqi city close to the Iranian border.

In a statement released Friday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo cited "repeated firing" of Iran-backed militias.

"I said that Iran had to understand that the United States would react quickly and appropriately to such attacks," said Pompeo.

He blamed the security threat especially on Iran, the Qods Force, its Islamic Revolutionary Guard, and the militias under the control of Qasss Force Commander Qassem Suleimani.

Basra airport was also the target of an attack earlier this month. Jane Arraf of the NPR reported that, according to Iraqi security officials, the attacks had not landed on the US embassy or consulates. There were no injuries or serious injuries, but the White House said in a statement that it was a life-threatening attack on its diplomatic missions.

"Iran has not acted to put an end to these attacks by its proxies in Iraq, which it has supported with funds, training and weapons," the White House said.

Basra hosts one of three US diplomatic missions in Iraq. As the country's oil capital and the country's main port, it has been rife with successive wars and neglect for decades. After the invasion of the United States in 2003, Basra fell under the control of the militia and, as a result, there was widespread corruption.

Hundreds of anti-government protests have hit the city since the beginning of July.

According to Arraf, the protesters demand vital government services, and a water crisis has pushed them to the brink.

Nasser Jabar, one of the protesters, told Arraf: "We are tired of their assassination, we are tired of their corruption, all parties in power now – they are corrupt, all."

"We want to change them," he added.

Earlier this month, protesters raged against neighboring Iran, accusing its disproportionate influence on Iraqi political affairs from their misery. They stormed the Iranian consulate and set it on fire, causing significant damage.

Pompeo tweeted On Tuesday, Iran-backed militias launched the attacks, warning: "We will hold the Iranian regime accountable for any attack on our personnel or our facilities, and react swiftly and firmly to the defense of American life" .

"I made it clear that Iran needed to understand that the United States would react promptly and appropriately to such attacks," added Pompeo.

The decision comes at a particularly difficult time, as tensions between Washington and Tehran escalated during the Trump presidency.

In a speech to the UN General Assembly earlier this week, President Trump hammered Iran for his support for terrorism and aggression against US allies in the Middle East.

"Iran's leaders are wreaking havoc, death and destruction," Trump said.

"They respect neither their neighbors, nor their borders, nor the sovereign rights of nations, and instead the Iranian rulers plunder the nation's resources to enrich and wreak chaos throughout the Middle East and beyond".