Sudani asks France to back Iraq’s UN Security Council complaint over strikes

BAGHDAD — Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani asked French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday to support Iraq’s complaint to the United Nations Security Council over airstrikes targeting its security forces, with France holding a permanent seat on the council.

Sudani highlighted “the importance of France standing alongside Iraq in its complaint submitted to the United Nations Security Council” during a call that covered the regional war’s repercussions on energy markets and the broader economy. Both sides condemned attacks on Iraqi security forces as “an unacceptable violation of sovereignty and international laws and norms,” and stressed the importance of “intensifying consultation and coordination to address challenges, and working to support peaceful solutions to crises in a way that ensures the sovereignty of states and the security of their territories.”

Iraq also expressed support for “all diplomatic initiatives aimed at stopping the conflict, imposing security, and ensuring the safety and smooth flow of maritime and air navigation.”

Macron affirmed that France “continues its efforts in coordination with all countries to stop the war and contribute to supporting regional and international security and stability.”

The call is part of an intensifying Iraqi diplomatic push following Tuesday’s emergency meeting of the Ministerial Council for National Security, which authorized forces to respond to airstrikes on PMF positions and directed the Foreign Ministry to summon the U.S. chargé d’affaires and file a complaint with the UN Security Council. Wednesday’s strike on a military clinic at Habbaniyah base killed seven more personnel and wounded 13, a day after a strike on the same base killed 15 PMF members including the Anbar operations commander.