Iran missile attack Erbil Iraq

The Governor of Erbil in northern Iraq, Omed Khoshnaw, said it was not clear whether the missiles were targeting the American consulate at the site, ...

Revolutionary Guards say target in Erbil was Israeli 'strategic centre' following attack in Syria.

The US defence official said it was still uncertain exactly how many missiles were fired and exactly where they had landed. One Iraqi official in Baghdad initially said several missiles had hit the US consulate in Erbil and that it was the target of the attack. In retaliation, Iran launched a barrage of missiles at al-Asad airbase, where US troops were stationed. Later, Lawk Ghafari, the head of Kurdistan’s foreign media office, said none of the missiles had struck the US facility but that areas around the compound had been hit. The troops will still provide air support and other military aid for Iraq’s fight against Islamic State. US forces stationed at Erbil’s airport compound have come under fire from rocket and drone attacks in the past, with US officials blaming Iran-backed groups.

The attack early Sunday could also be related to both the now stalled Iran nuclear talks and Iraqi government formation.

Under Iraq’s constitution, the position is accorded to a Kurd. The KDP and its rival, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, are in a fight to impose their own candidate, with the latter insisting that the current incumbent, Barham Salih, who is also backed by Iran, retain his seat. A deal seemed within reach until Russia made a last demand that any future business between it and Iran be shielded from sanctions it faces over its invasion of Ukraine. Others suggest a link with the stalling of negotiations in Vienna to revive a deal for Iran to ditch its nuclear ambitions in exchange for sanctions relief. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan that no Americans were harmed and no US facilities were affected by the attack. The Iran-backed factions are pushing to be part of any new government, but Sadr continues to resist the idea if former Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki is accorded a role. A farm belonging to Sheikh Baz Karim Barznji, CEO of the Iraqi Kurdish oil company KAR group, was also affected, with windows shattering from the impact.

Unconfirmed reports say explosions occurred near the US consulate and airport, with one US official claiming the rockets came from Iran.

After nuclear talks break down, Iran claims ballistic missile attack in Iraq ... BAGHDAD — Iran claimed responsibility Sunday for a barrage of ballistic missiles ...

Iran, traditionally a kingmaker, has struggled to assert itself over the process as Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has tried to exclude its allies, Iraqi officials and analysts say. That operation triggered an Iranian ballistic missile attack on an Iraqi air base, with dozens of U.S. troops suffering brain injuries. The U.S. State Department condemned the attacks as “outrageous.” Iraqi officials also issued harsh statements. “No U.S. facilities were damaged or personnel injured,” State Department spokesman Ned Price in a statement. Irbil’s ruling Kurdish Democratic Party is one of Sadr’s major partners in that effort. One landed several kilometers from a new and sprawling U.S. Consulate compound that remains under construction, officials said. The exact targets of Sunday morning’s missile strikes were unclear. One U.S. official, citing a conversation with an Iraqi counterpart, said that the targets included houses where a Mossad cell was suspected to have operated. In Baghdad and Irbil, delicate and drawn-out negotiations over who will form the country’s new government appear to be drawing to a close. Sunday’s attack comes at a sensitive moment in Iraqi politics and at a pivotal time in the United States’ relationship with Iran. Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi described the strikes as “an attack on the security of our people.” Masrour Barzani, the prime minister of Iraq’s Kurdistan region, said that it would “stand strong against cowardly attacks.” A newsroom was damaged and a television studio carpeted in shattered glass, photographs showed.

The ballistic missile attack reportedly targeted the US consulate's new building in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.

The vast majority of attacks against US forces in recent years have been launched using rockets or drones. “It's not only against a military party but against all of society, as a message that we can target you all the time. This is a very aggressive action against a democratic people and society,” Batun told Middle East Eye. Thank God, no one has been injured.” Though neighbouring areas were struck, the attack seems to have only caused material damage. The Kurdistan Regional Council of Ministers condemned the attack, which it said was launched "under the pretext of striking an Israeli base near the US consulate in Erbil, but the target site was a civilian site, and this justification is aimed at concealing the motives of this heinous crime".