Iraq President: Iraqis can’t accept their country being a battleground

As tensions continue to rise between the US and Iran, Iraqis fear their country will pay the price

Iraqi President Barham Salih speaks in a recorded message played during the 75th session of the UN General Assembly on September 23 last year. AP

Iraqi President Barham Salih called for self-restraint as the US and Iran cause tensions to increase in the region.

During a ceremony on Tuesday to mark the anniversary of the death of Iranian general Qassem Suleimani in a US drone strike in Baghdad, Mr Salih said Iraq was going through "very complicated and sensitive circumstances amid regional challenges and economic crises".

He called for “a sense of national responsibility to protect the interests of the country and the people”.

"Iraqis can’t accept their country being a battleground for others or a launch pad to attack anyone," he said.

“We had enough wars and violence. We want a peaceful Iraq for its people, neighbours and the region.”

Tensions between the US and Iran have had a major effect on Iraq, where Washington and Tehran have vied for influence since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

The situation became more tense in 2018 when US President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and global powers and imposed sanctions on Iran to force it to renegotiate the deal.

By the end of 2019, Iran-backed militias in Iraq increased attacks against US troops, demanding their withdrawal.

The US assassinated Suleimani outside Baghdad airport in January last year. He was head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force and architect of Tehran's proxy wars and policy in the Middle East.

The strike also killed Abu Mahdi Al Muhandis, leader of Iran-allied group Kataib Hezbollah, and eight aides.

A few days later, Iran retaliated by firing nearly two dozen ballistic missiles at two Iraqi military bases hosting US troops, raising the possibility of a conflict between Iran and the US on Iraqi soil.

Since late last month, tensions have increased again after Washington sent B-52 bombers to fly over the region in a warning to Iran against carrying out attacks during the anniversary of Suleimani's death. The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz also patrolled the Arabian Gulf.

On Monday, Iran resumed uranium enrichment at its underground nuclear plant near Qom to produce 20 per cent enriched uranium in direct defiance of the terms of the nuclear deal.