Iraqi envoy calls on US to reopen Basra consulate

At an exclusive Al-Monitor event, Iraq’s ambassador to the United States urged the Donald Trump administration to reopen its consulate in Basra, which the State Department closed last year amid rocket attacks from Iran-backed militias.
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Iraqi envoy to Washington, Fareed Yasseen, speaks at an Al-Monitor event in Washington, DC, Feb. 28, 2019. - Al-Monitor
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Jack Detsch
@JackDetsch_ALM

Iraq’s envoy to Washington urged the Donald Trump administration today to reopen the US Consulate in the southern city of Basra, which was shuttered after Iran-backed militias attacked the facility.

“If you can relay that message to anyone in the State Department: Please send your consul back to Basra,” Fareed Yasseen said at an exclusive Al-Monitor breakfast in Washington.

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