Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region Masrour Barzani have canceled scheduled meetings with Iranian officials at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in apparent protest of the ballistic missile attack carried out by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps late Monday that killed four civilians in Erbil, Iraqi officials speaking not for attribution told Al-Monitor.
Tensions between Baghdad and Tehran have been escalating since the attack, which Tehran claimed targeted an Israeli spy cell in the city. Prominent businessman Peshraw Dizayee and his 11-month old daughter Jina perished in the strike along with a fellow businessman and a domestic worker, triggering a wave of outrage among Kurds who gathered outside the United Nations headquarters in Erbil yesterday to air their fury.
In an unusually harsh response, Baghdad recalled its ambassador from Tehran for consultations. US national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with Sudani and Barzani on the sidelines of Davos yesterday to discuss the strike and other regional crises. “Sullivan and Sudani discussed the importance of stopping attacks against US personnel in Iraq and Syria and committed to enhancing security cooperation as part of a long-term, sustainable partnership,” a White House readout of the meeting said.
US forces in Iraqi Kurdistan intercepted three drones ostensibly fired by Iran-backed Shiite militias yesterday, part of an ongoing campaign of pressure on US forces in Iraq and Syria, Iraqi officials confirmed. US Central Command has not confirmed the attempted attack.
