US Ambassador to Iraq Alina Romanowski stressed on Tuesday that her country was not controlling Iraqi airspace and that American forces did not take part in the Israeli attack against Iran over the weekend.
Speaking at the Middle East Research Institute (MERI) Forum in Erbil, she said the US views Iraq as a sovereign nation and based on that, it does not impose control over its airspace.
The American military did not take part in the attack Israel launched against Iran and was not involved in carrying out the strikes, she went on to say.
Baghdad had filed a complaint to the United Nations and its Security Council over Israel’s use of its airspace to launch the attacks, deeming the move a “flagrant violation” of its sovereignty.
Israel carried out precise strikes against facilities where rockets are built and other vital facilities in response to an attack by Tehran against Israel earlier this month.
On the deployment of American troops in Iraq, Romanowski said they are stationed there to defeat ISIS remnants.
Baghdad has taken the decision to shift relations from military to other domains and the US is seeking to empower the Iraqi armed forces to take the reins in consolidating security, she added.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani informed Washington that his government will have the sole responsibility in making decisions about security in Iraq, she stressed.
This will greatly help consolidate stability in the region, she went on to say.
Moreover, the ambassador said the US is keen on empowering Iraq in using its sources of energy and its wealth in a modern and beneficial way.
On Iran’s gas supplies to Iraq to fuel its power stations, Romanowski said Tehran is under sanctions and hopes that no party would violate them and send funds to Iran.
That is why the US wants Iraq to continue connecting its electricity grid to those in neighboring countries, rather than rely on imports from Iran and risk violating sanctions, she explained.
