Iraqi religious leader Moqtada Sadr today called on the Iraqi government to “close” the US embassy in Baghdad because of Washington’s “unconditional support” for Israel in its war against Palestinian Hamas.

If “the government and parliament do not respond positively to this request, we will take other actions that we will announce later,” the influential Shiite leader warned in a message on the X platform (formerly Twitter).

In Iraq, support for the Palestinian cause is widely accepted and transcends political differences. Like its Iranian neighbor, a great enemy of the Israeli state, Baghdad does not recognize Israel.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has criticized the “Zionist occupation” since the start of the Israeli bombardment of Gaza, which he calls a “genocide” of the Palestinian people.

In Iraq, as in many other Arab and Muslim countries, demonstrations are held every Friday to denounce Israeli bombing and support the Palestinians.

Also, for a week now, US forces and their allies deployed in Iraq have been the target of attacks, most of which have been claimed by the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq” group on Telegram channels. linked to powerful pro-Iranian Iraqi factions.

Yesterday, Thursday, the Pentagon counted at least 16 attacks in Iraq and Syria pointing to “Iranian-backed militias.”

The Iraqi government is supported by pro-Iranian parties maintaining close relations with Tehran. But it also needs to maintain its relationship with the US, whose 2,500 troops are deployed in Iraq. On Monday, Baghdad condemned the “unacceptable” attacks on US troops and promised an investigation.

Faced with these tensions, Washington last Friday ordered the removal of non-essential personnel from its embassy in Baghdad, which is located in the Green Zone, the heavily guarded sector of the Iraqi capital, and its consulate in Arbil in Iraqi Kurdistan.