Iraq's Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein
Iraq says it will not be a ‘battleground’ in regional tensions
BAGHDAD — Iraq will not be drawn into regional conflicts and will not allow its territory to be used for attacks on neighboring countries, Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said during an Arab League meeting on Sunday.
According to a Foreign Ministry statement, Hussein led Iraq’s delegation at a session of the Arab League Council at the level of foreign ministers, held via video conference.
In his remarks, Hussein affirmed Iraq’s commitment to “respecting the sovereignty of states and adhering to international law,” adding that Iraq “will not be a battleground for settling regional scores, will not be a party to any conflict, and will not allow its territory to be used to attack neighboring countries.”
He said the Iraqi government remains committed to preserving national sovereignty, strengthening relations with neighboring states, and preventing actions that could harm regional security and stability.
Hussein also reiterated Iraq’s “categorical rejection” of any attacks targeting Gulf countries and Jordan, stressing that the security of Arab states “is an integral part of Iraq’s national security.”
He said the impact of the war has caused casualties among Iraqi civilians and security forces, as well as damage to government institutions, service facilities, residential areas, and diplomatic missions. He also referred to the Saturday drone attack targeting the residence of Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani in Duhok.
Since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began on Feb. 28, 2026, Iran-aligned Iraqi armed groups have launched repeated drone, rocket and missile attacks inside Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, targeting U.S. personnel, diplomatic facilities, energy infrastructure, residential areas and Kurdish leadership sites.
At the same time, bases and facilities linked to Iran-aligned groups in Iraq have come under airstrikes. Most recently, two police officers were killed in an airstrike on a police unit in Mosul on Saturday, Iraq’s Interior Ministry said, as separate strikes killed three PMF members in Kirkuk.
Prime Minister Sudani has repeatedly insisted decisions of war and peace “belong exclusively to the state,” the judiciary has now given that position explicit constitutional weight, and Kataib Hezbollah has responded by explicitly rejecting it — while remaining formally incorporated into Iraq’s own security apparatus.