The US is allowing its diplomats to return to Iraq, BTA reported. This comes nearly a month after their evacuation, which took place just after the US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
The US State Department did not explain its motives, but such moves indicate that the US believes the risks of conflict are lower. However, the State Department continues to advise Americans not to visit Iraq, said department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce.
On June 22, the US ordered non-essential personnel to leave Iraq, at a time when Donald Trump ordered strikes on Iranian nuclear sites as part of an Israeli military campaign against Iran. Iran responded by firing missiles at a US base in Qatar, but Trump said Tehran had informed the US of its intentions and given it the opportunity to shoot down the missiles. Shortly afterwards, Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
The decision to return the diplomats came despite a series of drone strikes on oil fields in Iraqi Kurdistan. No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks at a time when the regional government and federal authorities in Baghdad are arguing over control of export revenues from Kurdish fields. Yesterday, the Iraqi government announced an agreement to resume oil exports from the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan.
On June 22, the State Department ordered non-essential US personnel to leave Lebanon, but lifted that restriction on July 3.
The US classified as a "terrorist" the group that India accuses of carrying out the deadly attack in Kashmir in April, which caused a serious military escalation between the Asian giant and its Pakistani neighbor, world agencies reported, quoted by BTA.
The organization in question - the Resistance Front (RF), is nothing more than a proxy for the Pakistan-based jihadist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, said a statement by US diplomat Marco Rubio, which also reiterates Delhi's position.