Iraq’s Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, is under increasing scrutiny as his administration struggles to rein in pro-Iranian militias and the Islamic Republic of Iran itself, which have been launching attacks on American, French, Italian, and Kurdish military sites and personnel within Iraq.
On Saturday, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad issued an urgent alert, advising all American citizens to leave Iraq “immediately.” The warning underscored the threat posed by “Iran-aligned terrorist militias,” which have repeatedly targeted the International Zone in central Baghdad.
This advisory followed reports of a missile hitting a helipad at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad earlier that day. The situation has raised significant concerns about the safety of diplomatic staff and other personnel in the region.
A spokesperson for the State Department, speaking to Fox News Digital, strongly condemned these assaults by Iran and its allied militias. The spokesperson highlighted the dangers faced by U.S. diplomatic staff, civilian targets, and energy infrastructure, particularly in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.
In a related scene, a billboard featuring a photograph of Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, who was killed in U.S. and Israeli airstrikes, was prominently displayed along a Baghdad street on March 9, 2026. This imagery adds to the tense atmosphere in the city.
Emphasizing the role of the Iraqi government, the State Department spokesperson reiterated Secretary Rubio’s stance that Iraq must take comprehensive actions to protect U.S. diplomatic personnel and facilities. The aim is to prevent militia groups from using Iraqi territory as a launchpad for threats against the U.S. and the broader region. The spokesperson also noted, “Acting in this manner aligns with Iraq’s interests.” They added that the U.S. retains various strategies to safeguard its interests, although specific sanctions or actions were not disclosed.
A Kurdish official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Fox News Digital that the Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in Iraq “are paid and armed by the Iraqi government. They are on the Iraqi payroll. This is not the first time they have fired on the U.S., the Kurdistan Regional Government [KRG] and the energy sector. These PMF have brazenly attacked U.S. military bases.”
According to the official, “Many of these leaders [from the PMF] are part of al-Sudani’s government and his very coalition.”
In a statement to Fox News Digital on Sunday, an official for Iraq’s Embassy in Washington, D.C., flatly denied the allegations against al-Sudani. “We would like to unequivocally confirm that the allegations claiming the Prime Minister granted a ‘green light’ to any armed group to target U.S. or Western interests are completely false. The Iraqi government has repeatedly emphasized its firm rejection of any attacks on diplomatic missions or foreign interests.”
The representative added, “The Prime Minister has also issued several statements condemning such acts, describing them as terrorist activities, and has directed the relevant authorities to pursue those responsible and bring them to justice.”
Al-Sudani raised eyebrows last week when he congratulated the Islamic Republic of Iran’s selection of its new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the assassinated second Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei. “We express our confidence in the ability of the new leadership in the Islamic Republic of Iran to manage this sensitive stage, and continue to strengthen the unity of the Iranian people in facing the current challenges,” al-Sudani reportedly said.
When asked about the congratulatory statement to Khamenei, the Iraqi Embassy official said, “This action falls within the scope of standard diplomatic practices carried out by many countries, including several Gulf states. Iraq maintains diplomatic relations with neighboring countries, including Iran, while simultaneously ensuring balanced relations with all its regional and international partners.”
A member of the Imam Ali Battalions, the armed wing of the Islamic Movement of Iraq — a member faction of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) paramilitaries — holds up a picture depicting Iraqi PMF commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis (who was in a US drone strike in early 2020), as other group members gather with its flags during a rally to mark annual Quds (Jerusalem) Day commemorations in Baghdad on April 5, 2024. (Murtaj Lateef/AFP via Getty Images)
The intensified attacks on the international anti-jihadi coalition in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region on Friday resulted in the death of a French soldier and injuries to six other people. According to France 24, the commanding officer, Colonel Francois-Xavier de la Chesnais, said the French soldier, Arnaud Frion, was murdered by an Iranian-designed Shahed lethal drone.
The Iraqi Kurdish news outlet Rudaw reported on Saturday that the “Kurdistan Region was targeted with seven explosive-laden drones early Saturday as Iran and its proxy forces in Iraq continue to target the U.S. consulate in Erbil and other military and civilian sites in the Region.” Rudaw said since the start of U.S. Operation Epic Fury the Kurdistan area has been targeted with over 300 drone and missile attacks, resulting in the killing of seven people and 35 injured.
The Kurdish official complained that al-Sudani’s “government is not serious about taking on militias because the militias are part of the government.” However, the official praised the U.S. “The Americans are going after them aggressively over the last week with attacks on their [PMF] positions.”
U.S. embassy personnel inspect damage caused by a bombing in Baghdad, Iraq, on Saturday, March 14, 2026. (Hadi Mizban/AP)
According to a Long War Journal report, “Airstrikes, likely conducted by the U.S. as part of the U.S.-Israeli operation against the Islamic Republic, have continued targeting Iran-backed Iraqi militias.” Neither the U.S. nor Israel have commented on reports that they are striking the PMF.
Fox News Digital secured information in early March from the Israeli Defense Forces that drones have been fired at Israel from Iraqi territory since the start of the war.
The PMF told the Iraqi News Agency that American military forces have conducted 32 airstrikes against PMF headquarters since February 28.
The Kurdish official urged the Trump administration to “demand that Iraq’s government stop paying and arming the PMF and target their banking system that finances the PMF.” The official continued, “We have shared information with the Iraqis and the Americans, who have in turn shared information with the Iraqi government.” On the terrorist activities of the PMF the official said, “The al-Sudani government has been unwilling to confront them.”
Supporters gather in Baghdad’s Sadr district holding Iranian flags and posters of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei following the announcement that he was killed in U.S.-Israeli attacks, on March 1, 2026 (Murtadha Al-Sudani/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The official bemoaned that the al-Sudani government initiated a “handful of arrests last year, and they were released on bail and were able to flee to Iran.” The Kurdish official said the KRG “provided the information to the Iraqi government about the perpetrators” who fled to the Islamic Republic.
An Iraqi official dismissed the reports on PMF terrorists, stating,” I have not heard of such a thing. I guess that’s not true.”
The Kurdish official cited two PMF groups as the most bellicose toward the U.S.: Asaib Ahl al Haq (League of the Righteous) and Kataib Hezbollah. The Trump administration sanctioned Asaib Ahl al Haq in March 2024. The State Department said Asaib Ahl al Haq “and its leaders are violent proxies of the Islamic Republic of Iran” and the group “is extensively funded and trained by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Qods Force.”
The U.S. government sanctioned Kataib Hezbollah in 2023. The Kurdish official also charged the al-Sudani’s government with imposing an embargo on imported goods to Iraqi Kurdistan as a way “to strip away our autonomy and everything we can built over 30 years.” The autonomous Kurdish government is widely considered a robust pro-American ally.
Iran-backed shi’ite groups fighters celebrate on a street, after the IRGC attack on Israel, in Basra, Iraq, October 1, 2024. (Essam Al-sudani/Reuters)
The Iraqi official denied the embargo, stating, “The federal government does not pursue a policy of ‘embargo’ against the Kurdistan Region. The current measures aim to unify the legal, customs, and trade framework across all Iraqi borders in line with the federal constitution.
“No country can afford contradictory internal trade and customs regimes, as this risks harming the national economy as a whole. Our objective is a unified, fair economic framework that protects state revenues while respecting the region’s specificities, and we believe this is best achieved through dialogue and cooperation.”
Smoke rises from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (Ali Jabar/ AP Photo)
Entifadh Qanbar, a former spokesman for the deputy prime minister of Iraq, told Fox News Digital that “One could even describe the PMF as the Iraqi branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, effectively functioning as an Iraqi Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The PMF operates through a network of militias that frequently attack U.S. forces, foreign interests, and targets in Kurdistan.”
He argued for “The dismantling of the mother organization — the PMF itself. As long as the PMF exists, militias operating under its umbrella will continue to attack U.S. forces and regional targets.”
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