Congress pushes Trump to reopen US Consulate in Iraq’s Basra province

The State Department closed the US Consulate in Iraq’s Basra province nearly a year ago. Now Congress is laying the groundwork to reopen it.
An Iraqi protester waves a national flag while demonstrating outside the burnt-down local government headquarters in the southern city of Basra on September 7, 2018 during demonstrations over poor public services. - Basra has seen a surge in protests since September 4, with demonstrators torching government buildings as well as political party and militia offices, as anger boils over after the hospitalisation of 30,000 people who had drunk polluted water. (Photo by Haidar MOHAMMED ALI / AFP) (Photo c
An Iraqi protester waves a national flag while demonstrating outside the burned-down local government headquarters in the southern city of Basra on Sept. 7, 2018, during demonstrations over poor public services. - HAIDAR MOHAMMED ALI/AFP/Getty Images
BryantHarris.jpeg
Bryant Harris
@brykharris_ALM

The State Department closed its consulate in Iraq’s Basra province last year after rockets landed near the airport that houses the building. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described the closure as “temporary” at the time. But one year later, the facility remains shuttered.

Now Congress is laying the groundwork to ensure the closure doesn’t become permanent.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.

Videos

See more