Iraqi government accuses US of lying about circumstances of Jordan airstrikes, violating international law

An Iraqi government spokesperson accused the United States of violating international law and lying about the circumstances of the retaliatory attack for recent attacks in Jordan.

Iraqi government spokesman Bassem al-Awadi said the airstrike killed 16 people, including civilians, and injured 25 others. Said In a post on Platform X, formerly known as Twitter Saturday.

He said the United States “deliberately misled and fabricated facts by announcing prearrangements to carry out this invasion. This misled international public opinion and condemned this crime, which is rejected according to all international laws.” “This is a false claim aimed at denying legal responsibility.”

Al-Awadi said Iraq refuses to turn its territory into a “place where wins and losses are decided” and that the country’s sovereignty and land cannot be used to “send messages” or show off force between adversaries. He added that “all parties” need to understand that this is not the place to do anything.

“This aggressive attack puts the security of Iraq and the region on the brink and runs counter to efforts to establish the necessary stability,” al-Awadi continued.

A government spokesperson vowed that Iraq would “make all efforts required by moral, national and constitutional responsibility to protect our lands, cities and the lives of our children in all types of armed forces.”

The United States on Friday launched its first round of airstrikes against Iranian-backed groups in Syria and Iraq in retaliation for recent attacks on Jordanian bases that killed three American service members.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Friday night that it had begun airstrikes against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and its affiliated militias in Iraq and Syria.

“The U.S. military attacked more than 85 targets with a large number of aircraft, including long-range bombers from the United States,” Centcom said. Said In a statement. “More than 125 precision munitions were used in the airstrike.”

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the attack was aimed at reducing Iran’s capabilities and sending a message to Iran and its supporters to stop attacking Americans.

“We think these goals fit that criteria,” he said. “And the goal here is to deter these attacks. We don’t want a war with Iran.”