BEIRUT, LEBANON (12:30 P.M.) – On Monday, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the targeting of diplomatic and residential buildings is unacceptable, commenting on the attack of the US embassy in Baghdad last night.
However, Tehran questioned the timing of the attack, claiming that it “raises suspicions, especially with US President Donald Trump leaving office on January 20th.
The spokesman for Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Saeed Khatibzadeh, said at a news conference on Monday:
“The attack on the diplomatic and residential buildings is unacceptable, but the type of attack and timing , and the statement issued by the US State Department shows that the timing is very suspicious, as if the prepared statement prior to the attack.”
Yesterday’s attack was followed by a statement from the US State Department, in which Secretary Mike Pompeo condemned the missile strikes.
The US embassy in Baghdad called on all Iraqi political and government leaders to take steps to prevent such attacks and hold those responsible accountable, after the Green Zone in the center of the capital was targeted with five Katyusha rockets.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted: “Iran-backed militias once again flagrantly and recklessly attacked in Baghdad, wounding Iraqi civilians. The people of Iraq deserve to have these attackers prosecuted. These violent and corrupt criminals must cease their destabilizing actions.”
A security source confirmed that the location of the rockets was launched from the Al-Tamr area, adding that the projectiles fell on a residential complex in the Green Zone near the embassy building.
He indicated that one of the rockets fell on an apartment, and another within the compound’s garage, while the fragments landed in the vicinity of Al-Jadriya area.
It is noteworthy to mention that the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad, which includes government buildings and foreign diplomatic missions, has been exposed in the recent period to a series of Katyusha rockets.
