Muristek
Baghdad, March 13
As many as 12 missiles struck near a sprawling US consulate complex in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil on Sunday, in what a US defense official and an Iraqi official said was a strike launched from neighboring Iran. No injuries were reported in the attack, which marked a significant escalation between the US and Iran.
Hostility between the longtime foes has often played out in Iraq, whose government is allied with both countries. The Iraqi official in Baghdad initially said several missiles had hit the US consulate in Irbil and that it was the target of the attack. Later, Lawk Ghafari, the head of Kurdistan's foreign media office, said none of the missiles had struck the US facility but that areas around the compound had been hit.
The US defense official said it was still uncertain exactly how many missiles were fired and exactly where they landed. — Agencies
Iran suspends talks with Saudi arabia
Tehran: Iran has decided to temporarily suspend its secret Baghdad-brokered talks aimed at defusing years-long tension with Saudi Arabia, Iranian state-linked media reported Sunday, a day after Saudi Arabia carried out its largest known mass execution in its modern history. Iraq's foreign minister earlier had said the fifth round of talks between Saudi and Iranian representatives was due to resume on Wednesday. AP