By Al-Fassel and AFP | 2023-11-06

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a surprise visit to Baghdad on Sunday (November 5) during a whirlwind tour of the Middle East in which he sought common ground with regional allies on the Israel-Hamas war.

The visit was not announced in advance for security reasons, following a series of provocative attacks on Iraqi bases hosting members of the international coalition battling the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS).

With Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shiaa al-Sudani in Baghdad, Blinken discussed the need to prevent the conflict from spreading, including in Iraq.

Al-Sudani condemned the attacks and said investigations were under way to determine the perpetrators.

"No country wants to have militia groups engaged in violent activity that's clearly against the interests of Iraq and its own sovereignty as well as against our interests," Blinken said, referring to attacks by Iran-aligned militias.

"So I think we have a shared purpose and commitment in trying to make sure that these attacks don't happen."

Most of the attacks carried out since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October have been claimed by a group known as "Islamic Resistance in Iraq," according to Telegram channels affiliated with Iraqi factions close to Tehran.

US Department of Defense (Pentagon) figures on Friday showed that between October 17 and November 3 there were 17 attacks in Iraq and 12 in Syria.

Some 2,500 US troops are deployed in Iraq, tasked with advising their Iraqi counterparts in the fight against ISIS.

The two leaders also discussed the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and the need to ensure that Palestinians are not forcibly displaced outside Gaza.

Humanitarian coordination

Blinken affirmed the US "commitment to coordinating with Iraq and our other partners in the region to ensure sustained and safe access to food, water, medical care, and other assistance required to meet humanitarian needs."

Al-Sudani reiterated calls for a ceasefire and pointed to "the urgency of containing the crisis and preventing its spread," a statement from his office said.

Blinken said the two leaders had a "good, productive, candid meeting" that served to reaffirm the US commitment to its partnership with Iraq.

"At the same time, it was very important to send a very clear message to anyone who might seek to take advantage of the conflict in Gaza to threaten our personnel here or anywhere else in the region: Don't do it," Blinken said.

"I made very clear that the attacks, the threats coming from the militia that are aligned with Iran are totally unacceptable and we will take every necessary step to protect our people," he said.

"We're not looking for conflict with Iran – we've made that very clear – but we'll do what's necessary to protect our personnel, be they military or civilian."

"More broadly, we're working very hard to make sure that the conflict in Gaza does not escalate, does not spread to other places – whether it's here, whether it's elsewhere in the region," he added.

"This is the very vital and urgent work of American diplomacy, and that's what we've been engaged in as well throughout this trip."

Diplomatic blitz

Blinken visited Israel on Friday and Jordan on Saturday for talks with King Abdullah, where he also took part in ministerial meetings with the foreign ministers of Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

A Palestinian Authority representative also joined the talks.

At a press conference, Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said the meeting was "honest, was direct, was comprehensive and in-depth, and with all transparency."

"It has reflected the Arab and the US stances in what is – should be done immediately to end this catastrophe," he added.

He stressed that "we cannot allow this war to undermine all that has been done to bring about just peace to the region."

Blinken expressed particular gratitude "to Jordan and to Egypt, two partners who have long worked to advance a two-state solution, for their dedication to a more stable and to a more peaceful Middle East."

On Sunday morning, Blinken travelled to the West Bank to meet Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, followed by a stop in Cyprus, where he met the president and foreign minister to discuss a maritime aid corridor to Gaza.

Blinken said Monday that Washington was working "very aggressively" to substantially expand the amount of aid reaching trapped civilians in Gaza.

"We have made good progress in recent days on expanding" the aid getting into Gaza, Blinken said following talks in Ankara with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, adding that a "pause [in fighting] could help that as well."