Iraq has found no evidence that drones used in recent attacks against Gulf countries were launched from its territory, National Security Advisor Qasim Al-Aboudi said, citing the findings of ongoing investigations.
Speaking in an interview with Dijlah TV, Al-Aboudi said Iraqi authorities had not established that the country was used as a launch point for the attacks.
“The investigations have not proven that these drones came from Iraqi territory,” he said, adding that there was no evidence to confirm or deny claims that individuals may have crossed into Iraq to carry out such operations.
His remarks come after Gulf countries accused Iran-backed armed groups of launching drone attacks from Iraq following the outbreak of the US-Iran conflict. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi has instructed security agencies to investigate Saudi Arabia’s claims over the recent attacks.
Al-Aboudi acknowledged that some Iran-backed militia groups had publicly claimed responsibility for targeting Gulf states during the conflict but said Iraqi investigators had not found evidence linking the launches to Iraqi territory. He added that Kuwaiti officials had also told Baghdad they had seen no indication that attacks originated from Iraq.
The national security advisor said Iraq’s limited radar and early warning capabilities make it difficult to determine the origin of some attacks, although intelligence shared by Gulf countries suggested several incidents were unlikely to have been launched from Iraq.
Al-Aboudi also said Iran had agreed to support Baghdad’s efforts to place all weapons under state control, describing the issue as a key outcome of Prime Minister Al-Zaidi’s recent visit to Tehran. He said several armed factions had already begun handing over their weapons as part of the process.
On the presence of Iranian Kurdish opposition groups in the Kurdistan Region, Al-Aboudi said Baghdad remained committed to the 2023 security agreement with Tehran but stressed that Iranian military strikes on Iraqi territory were unacceptable. He said Iraqi authorities had relocated several opposition groups to designated camps in Erbil and Sulaimani while continuing coordination with the Kurdistan Regional Government on security matters.
Al-Aboudi also confirmed that the planned withdrawal of US forces from Iraq by the end of September remains on schedule under the existing security agreement, while NATO advisers are expected to continue training Iraqi security forces.
Separately, he said authorities were investigating networks recruiting Iraqis to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war, adding that several recruitment offices had been shut down and arrests had been made.
