Double trouble for US? Amid Iran blitz, Rubio calls on Iraq PM to protect US embassy after big scare

The U.S. is scrambling to shore up security across the region as Iran’s retaliation hits American troops, embassies and key Arab partners, from Iraq to Bahrain and the Gulf’s energy grid. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia al‑Sudani on March 9, condemning “terrorist attacks by Iran and Iran‑aligned groups” in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region and urging Baghdad to take “all possible measures” to safeguard U.S. personnel and facilities. The push comes after Iran struck Kurdish militant sites in northern Iraq and after Donald Trump first said he would “welcome Kurdish involvement” in taking the fight into Iran, before later rowing back and saying Washington had “no interest” in a Kurdish offensive across the border.