U.S. Diplomats and Overseas Security

A missile struck a helipad inside the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad, Iraqi security officials said, prompting the embassy to tell U.S. citizens to leave immediately and sparking a U.S. warning that Iraq must act to stop repeated Iran‑backed militia attacks on American assets. The State Department said Baghdad "must take all possible measures" to protect U.S. personnel while Washington "retains a range of options"; Kurdish officials allege the Iran‑backed Popular Mobilization Forces are armed and paid by the Iraqi government and linked to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al‑Sudani’s coalition, claims Iraq’s Embassy in Washington rejects while defending al‑Sudani’s recent congratulation of Iran’s new supreme leader as routine diplomacy.