ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Iraqi government must take “all possible measures” to protect American personnel and facilities across the country, the US Secretary of State emphasized during a phone call with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Monday. Marco Rubio also strongly condemned what he described as “terrorist attacks” by Iran and Iran-aligned armed groups operating in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
In a readout of the call provided to Rudaw, US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said Rubio “strongly condemned terrorist attacks by Iran and Iran-aligned militia groups in Iraq, including in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.”
He added that the two leaders “reiterated the importance of the Iraqi government taking all possible measures to safeguard U.S. diplomatic personnel and facilities.”
The remarks come as the US had in late February launched Operation Epic Fury, conducted in joint cooperation with Israel, with bombardments largely targeting security and military installations as well as government institutions across the country.
On the first day of the campaign, an airstrike on Tehran killed Iran’s longtime supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (1939 - 2026), along with several family members and senior commanders.
For its part, Iran said on Friday that it had launched more than 2,000 drones and over 600 missiles targeting US and Israeli positions as part of its multi‑front response - dubbed Operation True Promise 4 - to the ongoing campaign.