Iraqi

Move reflects regional alarm over attacks by pro-Iranian groups based in Iraq, which continue despite ceasefire.

Bahrain has summoned an Iraqi envoy over drone attacks launched at the kingdom and other states in the region, which persist despite the US-Iran ceasefire.

The summoning of the diplomat on Monday followed similar action by Saudi Arabia the previous day, signalling growing regional concern over the activities of pro-Iranian groups based in Iraq and complicating Baghdad’s efforts to rebuild ties with its Arab neighbours.

Bahrain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the “continued malicious drone attacks” launched from Iraq towards Bahrain and several Gulf Cooperation Council countries, the state news agency BNA reported.

The ministry said Abdullah bin Ali Al Khalifa, director general of bilateral relations, had delivered an official protest note during the meeting with the Iraqi charge d’affaires, Ahmed Ismail al-Karawi.

The diplomatic missive called on Baghdad to address “these threats and attacks urgently and responsibly”.

Launchpad

During the United States-Israel war on Iran, Iraq has become a staging ground for a secondary conflict as drones and missiles are launched by Iran-aligned armed groups repeatedly targeting the Gulf states and Jordan.

US interests in Iraq also have been targeted, particularly the embassy in Baghdad.

Last month, several Gulf countries and Jordan demanded in a joint statement that Baghdad act immediately to stop attacks from its territory by Iran-aligned groups.

The statement was signed by Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Baghdad has categorically rejected the use of its territory to target Gulf states or Jordan, adding that it is taking necessary measures “in accordance with the constitution and the law”.

The attacks are severely testing Iraq’s painstakingly rebuilt ties with its Arab neighbours, leading Baghdad to issue a statement in which it offered “full readiness” to receive any information or evidence regarding the attacks to address them “responsibly and swiftly”.

Iran-aligned groups in Iraq had announced their commitment to a two-week Iran-US ceasefire that has been in place since dawn on Wednesday, and said they were suspending their actions towards the Gulf countries.

However, just hours after the ceasefire was announced, several Gulf nations reported missile and drone attacks on their territories.

Iraq’s parliament has elected Kurdish politician Nizar Amedi as president after months of political deadlock following November’s elections.

April 7 (UPI) — An Iran-backed militia freed an American journalist it kidnapped last month in a prisoner exchange with the Iraqi government, Iraqi and militia officials announced Tuesday.

The militia, Kataib Hezbollah, confirmed the release of Shelly Kittleson in response to negotiations with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani. Kataib Hezbollah representative Abu Mujahid al-Assaf said Kittleson was released “on the condition that she leaves the country immediately.”

“This initiative will not be repeated against in the coming days,” Assaf said. “We are in a state of war resembling that imposed by the american enemy against Islam, and in such situations, many considerations are set aside.”

Kataib Hezbollah abducted Kittleson in late March and set her free in a swap involving multiple members of the militia, Iraqi security officials told The New York Times. The Washington Post reported that it was believed Kittleson was held at Turf al-Sakhar, a stronghold of the militia about 40 miles north of Baghdad.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he extends his department’s appreciation to those who had assisted in securing her release, which he framed as a reflection of the Trump administration’s steadfast commitment to the safety and security of American citizens, no matter where they are in the world.”

“We are relieved that this American is now free and are working to support her safe departure from Iraq,” he said in a statement.

The National Press Club said it was “relieved” to learn of Kittleson’s release and hoped for her safe departure from Iraq.

“Today’s development is a welcome update for all those who believe in the ability for journalists to report safely and freely,” club president Mark Schoeff Jr. said in a statement.

“Her ordeal underscores the growing threats journalists face today as they do their jobs and report the truth.”

Kataib Hezbollah is a U.S.-designated terror organization and has links to Iran’s Quds Force, part of Iran’s military. It’s the second kidnapping of a foreign national by the group in Iraq in recent years.

In September, the group released Elizabeth Tsurkov, an Israel-Russian citizen and Princeton University student, after more than two years of captivity.

Kittleson worked as a freelancer reporter for more than a decade in the Middle East.

Amid an escalation of regional violence in response to the war in Iran, the U.S. government urged all American citizens living in Iraq, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar to leave as soon as possible.

According Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to Trump, 106 Americans held in foreign countries have been released since January 2025.

“No man, or woman, left behind,” he said on X.

Tehran says Iraq will face no restrictions in waterway, praising country’s ‘struggle’ against the US.

Iran has announced that Iraqi ships are free to pass the Strait of Hormuz, the latest sign of Tehran easing its stranglehold on the critical conduit for global energy supplies.

Iraq will be exempt from all restrictions in the strait, with controls only applying to “enemy countries”, Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said in a statement on Saturday.

“We hold profound respect for Iraq’s national sovereignty,” the military command said in the statement carried by the semi-official Tasnim News Agency.

“You are a nation that bears the scars of American occupation, and your struggle against the US is worthy of praise and admiration.”

Iran’s announcement came as US President Donald Trump reiterated his demands for Tehran to make a deal or relinquish control of the waterway, warning in a social media post that “all hell” would rain down within 48 hours otherwise.

Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters rejected Trump’s demand, calling his threat a “helpless, nervous, unbalanced and stupid action”.

Iran has effectively blockaded the strait, which usually carries about one-fifth of global oil and liquified natural gas supplies, since the US and Israel launched their war on the country on February 28.

While maritime traffic has ticked up in recent weeks under a de facto toll booth system imposed by Tehran, it is still down more than 90 percent from normal levels, according to ship tracking data.

According to Lloyd’s List Intelligence, there were 53 transits through the strait last week, up from 36 the previous week and the most since the war began.

The collapse of shipping in the waterway has thrown a wrench in global energy markets, pushing up fuel prices and prompting authorities in many countries to roll out emergency energy conservation measures.

Brent crude, the international benchmark, has hovered above $109 a barrel in recent days, with many analysts predicting prices to surge much higher if the waterway is not unblocked soon.

Iraq’s oil production, which provides most of Baghdad’s revenues, has been hit especially hard by the war.

Iraq’s oil ministry announced last month that production had fallen to 1.2 million barrels a day, down from 4.3 million barrels, amid declining crude shortage capacity due to the effective halt of exports through the strait.

Iraq was the world’s six-biggest oil producer in 2023, accounting for 4 percent of global supply, according to the US Energy Information Administration.

Iranian-backed militias have been increasing their attacks in Iraq in part because Tehran has lost its control over these groups since the launch of Epic Fury, a retired tier one special operator who just left Baghdad told The War Zone. He spoke with us hours after the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad warned of an imminent attack in central Baghdad and a day after the department announced a reward of up to $3 million for information about who is carrying out these attacks.

For years, Iranian-backed groups like Khataib Hezbollah have targeted U.S. and coalition bases, headquarters, embassies and other facilities in Iraq. While these groups have been supported by Iran with funding, weapons, intelligence and command and control, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has also reigned them in, explained the former commando, who now works in the private sector in Iraq on energy and reconstruction projects. He spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing operations. With the IRGC fighting for its own survival now, and its command and control structure decimated, their grip over the militias has loosened.

The degradation of IRGC during Epic Fury is “unleashing the shackles” on the Iranian-backed militias, said the former operator, who fought in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). “The IRGC would keep them in check, and tell them to come back to base and cool it. Now that leadership is gone.”

As it has with its other proxy groups like Hezbollah and the Houthis, Iran has used Iraqi militia groups for military and political leverage when needed. However, many of these militias and their members, also known as Private Mobilization Units (PMU), fought against the U.S. during Operation Iraqi Freedom and have longstanding animosity toward the U.S. They want to kill Americans independent of instructions from Iran, the source stated. 

“Now they’ve gone rogue,” the source proffered. “We have definitely seen an uptick in attacks.”

The result, he posited, has been “chaos across the country.”

On Thursday, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad warned that “Iraqi terrorist militia groups aligned with Iran may intend to conduct attacks in central Baghdad in the next 24-48 hours.”

“Iran and Iran-aligned terrorist militias have conducted widespread attacks against U.S. citizens and targets associated with the United States throughout Iraq, including in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR),” the embassy warning added. “They may intend to target U.S. citizens, businesses, universities, diplomatic facilities, energy infrastructure, hotels, airports, and other locations perceived to be associated with the United States, as well as Iraqi institutions and civilian targets.”

We reached out to the State Department to learn what prompted the warning, given the increasing frequency of militia strikes. We will add their response if we get one. The former operator said that the Embassy warning “means there is credible intelligence that they anticipate an attack. They have seen indicators about troop movements or that something is going to happen to the embassy.”

In addition to warning about an imminent attack, the embassy also noted that “(t)errorist militias have targeted Americans for kidnapping.”

This includes the recent abduction of freelance journalist Shelly Kittelson.

“We are deeply alarmed by the kidnapping of Al-Monitor contributor Shelly Kittleson in Iraq,” Al-Monitor said in a statement. “We call for her safe and immediate release. We stand by her vital reporting from the region and call for her swift return to continue her important work.”

The State Department is ‘aware of the reported kidnapping of an American journalist in Baghdad,” said Dylan Johnson, assistant secretary of state for global public affairs, told The Washington Post.

“The Iraqi Interior Ministry said security forces had arrested one suspect and seized a vehicle used in the crime and was tracking alleged accomplices in hopes of recovering Kittleson,” the publication added.

Since the launch of Epic Fury, we have reported on militia attacks on U.S. and coalition facilities in Baghdad as well as to the north  in Kurdish-controlled Erbil.

Victory Base Complex (VBC), a cluster of U.S. military installations surrounding Baghdad International Airport close to the Iraqi capital, has been a particular target. It was recently struck by Khataib Hezbollah first-person view (FPV) drones, destroying a U.S. military Black Hawk helicopter and a critical air defense radar.

The militias also hit a Giraffe-1X radar that was atop the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

As you can see from these videos, the militias have an increasingly advanced arsenal that includes artillery rockets, missiles and especially drones, which complicate defenses. Radars and air defenses at embassies and bases in particular have been targeted by drones, from FPVs to Shaheds.

Regardless of whether the militias are acting on their own, their attacks are clearly benefitting Iran. They have drawn in additional U.S. forces, which have had to respond with strikes of their own. In response to these attacks, U.S. forces have struck back at military targets across Iraq. As we recently pointed out, some of those strikes have involved A-10 Thunderbolt II close support jets conducting strafing runs to protect U.S. interests in Iraq. 

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, which took place amid the escalating Israel-US war on Iran.

A prominent hotel in central Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone was struck by a drone, amid reports that Iraqi air defences intercepted an attack over the United States Embassy.

The strike on Monday evening hit the top floor of Al-Rasheed Hotel, causing damage but no casualties, according to two Iraqi security officials cited by The Associated Press (AP) news agency.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Security sources told the Reuters news agency that two Katyusha rockets had been intercepted that evening near the US Embassy in the Green Zone, which houses diplomatic missions as well as international institutions and government offices.

Earlier Monday, the Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah announced that Abu Ali Al-Askari, a prominent security official with the paramilitary group, had been killed, without giving details on the circumstances.

Kataib Hezbollah is one of the largest groups in the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) operating in Iran, which was founded in 2014 to stop lightning advances by ISIL (ISIS).

On the same day, AP reported that six PMF fighters were killed in a strike on a checkpoint in western Iraq’s Anbar province, and two others were killed in a separate strike on the headquarters of a PMF brigade in the same area.

Two Iraqi security officials told AP that the Majnoon oilfield in Iraq’s southern Basra province was targeted by two drones. No casualties were reported, and it was not immediately clear if there was damage to the facilities.

Iraq’s oil industry has been severely impacted by the US and Israel’s war on Iran and Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil trading corridor.

Iraqi Minister of Oil Hayan Abdul-Ghani said in a video statement on Monday that a pipeline from the northern city of Kirkuk to Turkiye would be operational within a week, allowing the country to resume its oil exports, which have been interrupted by the ongoing war.

Also on Monday, air defences intercepted and shot down a drone near Erbil airport in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq, according to security sources.

Two foreign tankers were seen ablaze in Iraqi territorial waters after a strike near the al-Faw port. Authorities say they evacuated 25 crew members but have confirmed at least one death and are battling to control the flames.