7:09 p.m. ET, November 5, 2023
Blinken makes unannounced talk over with to Iraq amid considerations about broader regional war
From The Gentleman Report’s Jennifer Hansler
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unannounced talk over with to Iraq Sunday — an important prevent on his whirlwind commute during the area.
Blinken met with Iraqi High Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in Baghdad for greater than an hour. He additionally visited the United States Embassy, the place he won a safety briefing at the danger to US amenities.
Some context: US officers have time and again warned in opposition to different events changing into concerned within the war in Israel. Within the wake of the October 7 Hamas assault, Iran-backed proxy teams have scaled up assaults geared toward US troops in Iraq and Syria.
“We want to proceed to stop escalation of this war, its unfold to different spaces and different theaters. The US has and we can proceed to answer assaults via Iran’s proxies to protect our team of workers within the area, team of workers who’re right here in Iraq and in Syria to assist save you the resurgence of ISIS. We will be able to do what’s important to discourage and, as I stated, reply to any assaults,” Blinken stated at a information convention in Tel Aviv Friday.
Forward of his prevent in Iraq, Blinken made stops in Israel, Jordan, the West Financial institution and Cyprus. From Iraq, he’ll commute directly to Turkey.
Extra from Blinken: Talking to newshounds after the Iraq assembly Sunday, Blinken stated his dialogue with the top minister was once “excellent” and “productive,” and added that he made transparent that assaults via Iran-backed militias in opposition to US team of workers are utterly unacceptable.
Additionally they mentioned ensuring the war in Gaza does now not unfold into the broader area, the highest US diplomat stated.
Referring to Gaza, Blinken stated negotiations on a humanitarian pause within the preventing are a “procedure,” however that US and Israeli groups are assembly Sunday to “paintings during the specifics, the practicalities of those pauses.”
“Israel has raised necessary questions on how humanitarian pauses would paintings. We’ve got were given to respond to the ones questions. We are operating on precisely that,” he stated.
