Iraqi Govt. Spokesman: Calls to Close US Embassy Destroy Iraq

Al-Sadr supporters carry the flags of Iraq and Palestine in a march near the US Embassy in Baghdad on Friday. (AP)
Al-Sadr supporters carry the flags of Iraq and Palestine in a march near the US Embassy in Baghdad on Friday. (AP)
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Iraqi Govt. Spokesman: Calls to Close US Embassy Destroy Iraq

Al-Sadr supporters carry the flags of Iraq and Palestine in a march near the US Embassy in Baghdad on Friday. (AP)
Al-Sadr supporters carry the flags of Iraq and Palestine in a march near the US Embassy in Baghdad on Friday. (AP)

Iraq's government spokesman Bassem al-Awadi said that the proposal to close the US Embassy in Iraq is a decision that could “destroy Iraq”.

In an interview with al-Ahed channel, which is affiliated with Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Awadi said that Iraq has international obligations, and any decision that targets the diplomatic missions would affect Iraq's foreign ties.

He said an earlier government decision to close the Swedish Embassy in Iraq in the wake of the burning of the Quran in Sweden has caused international concern.

Such a proposal would not only affect the framework agreement (signed between Washington and Baghdad) but would also lead to the destruction of Iraq, he added.

Al-Awadi delivering his statements to al-Ahed channel reveals that Qais al-Khazali-led Asaib Ahl al-Haq disagrees with demands to close the US Embassy in Iraq, according to observers.

Issuing this government statement through this channel indicates that it intersects with the Head of the Sadrist movement Moqtada al-Sadr and other armed Shiite factions that have launched attacks on American interests and bases in Iraq and Syria during the past two weeks in response to Washington’s support to Israel.

Al-Sadr called on the Iraqi government and lawmakers on Friday to close the US embassy in Baghdad in response to Washington's unfettered support for Israel.

Some observers believe that al-Sadr meant to embarrass his rivals from the Coordination Framework and the Islamic Resistance groups who control the government and to disclose their claims of being against the American presence in Iraq.

Most of the observers in Baghdad speak about divisions among the Shiite factions and about their stance from targeting the American interests in Iraq. Pragmatic forces, including Asaib Ahl al-Haq, in the Coordination Framework prefer calm and avoiding Iraq’s involvement in a new war.



Gaza Rescuers Say 72 Killed by Israeli Fire

Smoke billows after an Israeli strike in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on June 19, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Smoke billows after an Israeli strike in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on June 19, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
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Gaza Rescuers Say 72 Killed by Israeli Fire

Smoke billows after an Israeli strike in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on June 19, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Smoke billows after an Israeli strike in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on June 19, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

Gaza's civil defense agency said Israeli fire killed at least 72 people in the Palestinian territory on Thursday, including 21 who had gathered to receive aid in central and southern Gaza.

Updating an earlier figure, civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP the death toll had risen to 72, "due to the ongoing Israeli bombardment on the Gaza Strip since dawn today -- 21 of them were waiting for aid.”

The Israeli army told AFP that troops had fired "warning shots" at "suspects" approaching them in the Netzarim area where the civil defense agency said 15 people were killed waiting for aid, but that it was "not aware of any injured individuals.”