A U.S. State Department official said that the United States is focused on protecting its personnel and facilities in Iraq from attacks carried out by “Iran‑aligned militias,” noting that Washington has repeatedly asked Iraqi authorities to provide precise information on the locations of Iraqi security forces to avoid targeting them.

The official told reporters that “the United States has repeatedly requested in recent weeks that the Iraqi government provide information on the deployment sites of its forces in order to ensure the safety of units that are not participating in attacks against U.S. interests,” adding that “Baghdad has not provided this information so far.”

He added that the United States “is ready to work with Iraqi authorities to defeat the terrorism that Iran‑backed militias are trying to spread inside Iraq and the region.”

The Iraqi government has not yet issued any official comment on the U.S. statements.

This comes amid an unprecedented escalation of attacks on U.S. interests in Iraq. Armed Iraqi factions operating under the umbrella of the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq” have targeted the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, the Harir base in Erbil, and sites near the Baghdad and Erbil airports using rockets and drones, declaring that they have joined Iran’s side after the regional war expanded.

The escalation has not been limited to attacks on U.S. interests. The same period also saw strikes targeting headquarters and positions of armed factions inside Iraq that are part of the Popular Mobilization Forces, amid mutual accusations between Washington and these groups, which the United States says are closely linked to Iran.

In response, the Iraqi government—through decisions issued by the Ministerial Council for National Security—has authorized security forces to respond to sources of fire and defend themselves in an attempt to contain the escalation and prevent the country from sliding into an open confrontation.