Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Iraq on Sunday as part of a tour of the Middle East. The goal of the trip is to reduce tension in the region.
Following his earlier visit to the West Bank, Blinken landed in Baghdad on Sunday night for talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani.
At the residence of the US ambassador to Iraq, Blinken was briefed on threats to US facilities, after which he met with the Iraqi chief of staff.
The Secretary of State later said that he had had a frank conversation with Iraqi leaders and that the United States was doing everything it could to ensure that the conflict in Gaza did not spread beyond its borders.
Blinken stressed that the wishes and aspirations of Palestinians must be a priority when deciding the future of Gaza. He also noted that the amount of humanitarian aid arriving in Gaza today is “totally insufficient.”
The Secretary of State will travel to Türkiye later on Sunday.
U.S. defense officials say attacks on U.S. and coalition troops in Iraq and Syria have increased since Hamas attacks on Oct. 7 triggered an intense Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip.
Iraqi armed groups linked to Iran have threatened to launch missile and drone attacks against US targets if Washington intervenes in Israel’s fight against Hamas in Gaza.
Blinken said that attacks on US personnel raise the question of Iraqi sovereignty and that such attacks are contrary to the country’s interests.
“It was very important for us to send a very clear message to anyone who might try to take advantage of the conflict in Gaza to threaten our staff here or anywhere else in the region: don’t do it,” Blinken told reporters after meeting. with al-Sudani.
Al-Sudani vowed to pursue those who carried out missile attacks on three military bases in Iraq that house international coalition advisers, including Ain al-Assad in western Iraq, a military base near Baghdad International Airport and Harir in Erbil.
Earlier on Sunday, Blinken met with Cypriot President Nicos Christodoulides to discuss the possibility of creating a sea corridor to bring aid from the island to the Gaza Strip.
Blinken and Christodoulides discussed the situation in the Middle East, Cypriot government spokesman Konstantinos Letimbiotis said in a post on the X Network.
According to Letimbiotis, during the conversation between Blinken and Christodoulides at Larnaca airport, they discussed “the creation of a special one-way maritime corridor through which a constant flow of humanitarian aid will be carried out from Cyprus to the civilian population of Gaza. ”.
Earlier on Sunday, Christodoulides said France, the European Commission and Israel support Nicosia’s initiative to open a humanitarian maritime corridor.
“On this basis we are negotiating with the UN because the aid will come through the UN so that it reaches the population and does not fall into the hands of Hamas,” Christodoulides told reporters.
After Christodoulides discussed the plan with EU leaders last month, he said he had spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and French President Emmanuel Macron about the issue.
“The Republic of Cyprus, within its capabilities, is trying to ensure the uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip,” Christodoulides said, adding that “we must be ready at any time, and as soon as conditions permit, begin to implement this proposal.”
Asked if a ceasefire for humanitarian aid had been discussed with Israel, he said: “Israel, the Prime Minister itself, supports our initiative.”
“We are discussing details… because the maritime zone around Gaza does not allow ships to approach it,” he said.
Last week, Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos visited Jordan and the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.
Christodoulides also brought Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi into the negotiations.
Cyprus currently serves as a transit point for foreign citizens evacuated from Israel due to the war.
