Pro-Iran Iraqi group says to pause U.S. embassy attacks, with conditions

Pro-Iran Iraqi group pauses U.S. embassy attacks for five days, imposing conditions amid ongoing regional tensions and strikes.

A pro-Iran group in Iraq vowed on Thursday (March 19, 2026) to stop attacking the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad for five days, but only under certain conditions, with strikes targeting other locations in the country.

After a wave of strikes on the U.S. Embassy in Iraq's capital Baghdad in recent days, AFP journalists reported no drone or rocket attacks on Wednesday (March 18, 2026) night.

But on Thursday an explosion was heard near Erbil's international airport in the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan region, said AFP journalists who also saw smoke rising near the fence.

A witness said two similar explosions were heard in the morning. Erbil is home to a major U.S. consulate complex, while its airport houses U.S.-led coalition diplomatic advisors.

Two drones also earlier targeted the US logistics centre at Baghdad International Airport, which houses military personnel and has been regularly targeted, according to a security official.

One crashed within the centre's compound and the other fell into a civil aviation academy, the source said, adding that neither caused any damage.