Fouad Hussein, Iraq's Foreign Minister, said in a television interview that the United States Secretary of Defense spoke with him about the armed groups operating in Iraq. According to him, "The issue is serious – and we are treating it seriously."
He added: "The United States has long accused several groups of having direct ties to the Iranian government, and that they are directed and exploited by it."
Hussein's remarks came after commentators described the latest American warning to Baghdad as "the sharpest warning so far," a warning issued following a phone call between U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Iraqi Defense Minister Thabet Al-Abbasi.
According to reports, during this call – which was conveyed through the acting U.S. ambassador to Baghdad – Hegseth delivered a direct and uncompromising warning to the Iraqi government against any involvement of armed militias in Iraq in future American military operations "in areas adjacent to Iraq."
