ERBIL () - The Iraqi government strongly condemned the drone attacks carried out against Saudi Arabia on Friday with Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ali al-Zaidi issuing an urgent investigation order to identify the parties responsible for the strikes, as Baghdad pledged that Iraqi territory and airspace will never become a base or gateway for attacks against any country.
Sabah Numan, spokesman for the Iraqi Armed Forces General Command, told reporters on Friday that Baghdad categorically rejects any transgression against Saudi Arabia's security and stability that harms relations between the two countries, and praised Saudi Arabia's position in response to Iraq's efforts to defuse the situation and prevent escalation.
"Ali al-Zaidi has directed an urgent investigation into the details of the attacks and the identification of the parties behind them, so that strict legal measures are taken against anyone found to have had a hand in these crimes,"Numan said. He added that the Prime Minister stressed the state will not overlook any activity that puts Iraq or its relations with neighboring and friendly countries at risk.
The Armed Forces General Command spokesman reaffirmed Iraq's firm position on its territory's use. "Iraqi soil and airspace will not become a base or gateway for attacks against any country,"Numan said. "The country's foreign policy is based on respecting the sovereignty of states and the principle of good neighborliness, so that its relations with regional countries are a bridge for cooperation and stability, not an arena for tension and conflict."
The Iraqi government simultaneously praised Saudi Arabia's measured response to the attacks, with Numan confirming that Baghdad welcomed Riyadh's decision to hold its military fire at Iraq's request, describing it as a reflection of the Saudi government's appreciation for Baghdad's efforts to defuse the situation. The Saudi Foreign Ministry had confirmed on Friday that it would not respond militarily at this stage, at the request of Iraq's Prime Minister, to give Baghdad the opportunity to take the necessary measures to prevent future attacks originating from Iraqi territory.
The investigation ordered by al-Zaidi targets the Iran-aligned militia factions operating within Iraq that US and Saudi officials have identified as the probable source of the drone strikes, given that no other actor in Iraq possesses the drone technology, operational capability, and strategic motivation to strike Saudi energy infrastructure at this range. The attacks struck pumping stations along the East-West oil pipeline in the Riyadh and Medina regions on Thursday morning, September 10, injuring a number of people and causing material damage, forcing the suspension of the pipeline that has served as Saudi Arabia's primary oil export route since the Strait of Hormuz closed in February 2026.
Iraq's condemnation and investigation order arrive as the September 30, 2026, militia disarmament deadline approaches with several Iran-aligned factions still refusing to comply. The drone attacks on Saudi Arabia from Iraqi territory represent precisely the kind of cross-border aggression that Prime Minister al-Zaidi's weapons regulation campaign has been designed to prevent, and the urgency with which Baghdad condemned the strikes and ordered an investigation reflects the acute political and diplomatic pressure the attacks place on al-Zaidi's government at the most sensitive moment of its disarmament effort.
