Gulf states demand Iraq stop attacks by Iran‑aligned armed groups from its territory

Ahram Online , Wednesday 25 Mar 2026

Several Gulf countries, along with Jordan, have demanded that Iraq act immediately to stop attacks launched from its territory by Iraqi groups strongly aligned with Iran.

Smoke rises from the area of the Kuwait International Airport after a reported drone strike hit a fuel depot. AFP

The joint statement, signed by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan, "condemned the destabilizing acts and activities targeting the security and stability of the region's countries."

"While the countries joining this statement value their fraternal relations with the Republic of Iraq, they call on the Iraqi government to take the necessary measures to immediately halt the attacks launched by factions, militias, and armed groups from Iraqi territory toward neighboring countries, in order to preserve brotherly relations and avoid further escalation," the statement added.

The warning comes as violence escalates across the Gulf region, including in Iraq, where US strikes have targeted pro-Iran armed groups and linked positions. Iran itself has also carried out missile and drone attacks across the region during the conflict, targeting US assets based in Gulf countries.

A deadly strike on a base in western Iraq on Wednesday, blamed on the United States, killed seven security personnel, a day after the same base was targeted in an attack on the former paramilitary Hashed al-Shaabi, also known as the Popular Mobilisation Force (PMF).

That strike was the deadliest in Iraq since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran on February 28, killing 15 fighters, including a commander. The base hosts Iraqi police, soldiers from the regular army and Hashed al-Shaabi forces, a security official told AFP.

The former paramilitary coalition is now part of Iraq's regular armed forces, but also includes brigades belonging to Iran groups. The attack prompted the government late on Tuesday to grant the PMF a "right to respond" to any attack against them.

Some groups in Iraq belonging to the pro-Tehran movement, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, claim daily to have carried out "dozens" of drone and rocket attacks against "the enemy" in Iraq and the Middle East, without naming their targets.

For its part, Iran says it is targeting American assets across the region in retaliation for US and Israeli strikes that have killed at least 1,500 people and devastated parts of the country since 28 February.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.