Abdul Mahdi said in a statement that he had received an official message from Iran shortly after midnight that Iran’s response to the assasination of top commander Qassem Soleimani would begin shortly, NRT reported.
“The strike would be limited to the bases of the US military in Iraq without identifying them,” Abdul Mahdi stated.
He added that military leaders were immediately informed about the attack in order to take necessary precautions.
The caretaker prime minister said the federal government would continue its efforts to prevent escalation of the conflict between Iran and the US.
“This serious crisis threatens the region and the world with a devastating and all-out war,” he warned.
Overnight, Iran fired a total of twenty-two missiles at al-Asad air base in Anbar province and at a base outside of Erbil, both of which host US and coalition troops. No casualties were reported at either base.
The Kurdistan Region’s senior political leadership said that military action would not solve the issues that underlie the tension between Iran and the United States and instead urged dialogue and de-escalation.
Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said the government would do everything to preserve tranquility in the Region.
“We will try to de-escalate the situation with all the sides and the Kurdistan Region will not be a part of the issues,” he added.
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