US Secretary of State condemns Iranian missile attack in phone call with Iraqi PM

"The Secretary and the Prime Minister agreed the attack demonstrates the need for Iraqi unity."

Wladimir van Wilgenburg 2022/03/14 16:40

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (Photo: Al Drago/Getty Images)

Kurdistan Kurdistan erbil attack Masrour Barzani blinken Kadhimi

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi and condemned Sunday's Iranian missile attack on the Kurdistan Region capital Erbil.

In the call, he said this attack "violated Iraq's sovereignty and expressed solidarity with the Iraqi people."

"The Secretary and the (Iraqi) Prime Minister agreed the attack demonstrates the need for Iraqi unity and the urgency of forming a government accountable to the Iraqi people that protects Iraq's territorial integrity," said State Department spokesperson Ned Price.

"The Secretary conveyed the US commitment to working with the Iraqi government and others in the region to hold Iran accountable," he added.

On Sunday, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani also spoke with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and asked for more US support for the autonomous Kurdistan Region.

Barzani and Blinken also agreed the attack was an "evident violation of Iraqi sovereignty," according to a statement from the Kurdish prime minister's office.

Prime Minister Barzani emphasized the importance of combating the "propaganda" that has been intentionally spread in recent years "as a pretext to attack Erbil sporadically", the statement added.

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and Kadhimi visited the Kurdistan 24 headquarters' building to closely survey the damage the media organization sustained as a result of Sunday's missile attack.

The two prime ministers visited different sections of the media organization, including its studio that was damaged in the attack.