Iran War and U.S. Interests

An Israeli military spokesman confirmed to Fox News that multiple unmanned aerial vehicles have been launched at Israel from Iraqi territory since the current U.S.–Israeli conflict with Iran began, with most intercepted before reaching targets. The drones are believed to be fired by Iranian‑controlled Popular Mobilization Forces such as Kataib Hezbollah, which experts say have also likely struck a Chaldean Catholic community complex near Erbil and now an oil field in Iraqi Kurdistan operated by U.S. firm HKN Energy. Kurdish officials say Thursday’s drone strike on the HKN site caused a fire and forced a production shutdown, marking a shift by Iran‑aligned Iraqi militias from attacking U.S. military bases to directly targeting American energy infrastructure. Iraqi Kurdish officials quoted in the piece argue that Baghdad has effectively allowed the PMF to become part of the state and weaponize federal institutions against the Kurdistan Regional Government, leaving minority communities and U.S. interests more exposed. The escalation underscores how the Iran war is spilling across Iraq, threatening both Israeli security and U.S. economic and strategic assets tied to Kurdish‑controlled territory.