Iraq’s Pro-Iran Group Announces Five-Day Pause on US Embassy Attacks as Regional Tensions Intensify

powerful pro-Iran armed group in Iraq has announced a temporary five-day halt to attacks targeting the United States Embassy in Baghdad, offering a brief window of calm amid rising tensions across the Middle East.

According to reports from AFP, no rocket or drone attacks were recorded on the US Embassy in Iraq’s capital from last night through this morning. The pause comes after weeks of escalating violence that has drawn Iraq into the wider regional conflict following the US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28.

Iraq, already struggling with internal challenges, has found itself caught in the middle of a rapidly expanding regional confrontation. Iran-aligned armed factions in the country have repeatedly launched attacks against American interests, while retaliatory strikes have targeted Iran-backed groups across the region.

The militia group Kataeb Hezbollah confirmed that its secretary-general had issued orders to suspend operations against the US Embassy in Baghdad for five days. However, the group emphasized that the pause is conditional and depends on several developments in the region.

Among the conditions outlined in the statement is a demand that Israel halt its airstrikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut. The group also called for a commitment to avoid bombing residential areas in Baghdad and other Iraqi provinces.

The group warned that if these conditions are violated, the ceasefire would immediately collapse. It also cautioned that military operations could intensify once the five-day period ends if the situation deteriorates.

In recent days, the US Embassy compound has faced repeated drone and rocket attacks. While many of these projectiles were intercepted by air defense systems, the frequency of the strikes has raised serious concerns about the security of diplomatic missions in Iraq.

Another key target has been the US diplomatic and logistics hub located near Baghdad International Airport. The facility, which hosts American military personnel, has been repeatedly targeted by armed groups aligned with Iran.

Meanwhile, tensions have also been felt in northern Iraq. Journalists reported multiple explosions in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region. Projectiles were intercepted over the city, which hosts a large US consulate complex and a base for coalition forces.

Violence has also spread to Iraq’s western regions. A strike near the border with Syria reportedly killed three members of the Popular Mobilisation Forces, also known as Hashed al-Shaabi. The fighters were stationed at a command center in Anbar province when the attack occurred.

The Hashed al-Shaabi coalition, which was originally formed to fight extremist groups, has since been integrated into Iraq’s official armed forces. However, several brigades within the alliance maintain close ties with Iran and are known to operate independently.

Beyond the battlefield, the regional conflict is now affecting Iraq’s fragile economy and infrastructure.

Authorities confirmed that gas imports from Iran suddenly stopped, creating new pressure on the country’s already strained electricity supply. The interruption occurred shortly after Iraq had reached an agreement to resume limited oil exports through Turkey.

Ahmed Moussa, spokesperson for Iraq’s Ministry of Electricity, told the Iraqi News Agency that Iranian gas deliveries had halted completely. The disruption removed approximately 3,100 megawatts of electricity from the national grid.

Officials have attempted to reassure citizens that emergency measures are being taken. The government plans to rely on alternative fuels and domestic gas reserves to prevent widespread blackouts.

The suspension of gas supplies follows reports of strikes on Iranian facilities connected to the massive South Pars North Dome gas field. Tehran condemned the attacks, further intensifying tensions across the region.

Despite having large oil and gas reserves of its own, Iraq remains heavily dependent on imported gas from Iran. Roughly one third of the country’s electricity generation relies on Iranian supplies.

Power shortages are already a daily reality for many Iraqis. Aging infrastructure, widespread corruption, and years of instability have left the country’s electricity system fragile and unreliable. As a result, most households depend on private generators to cope with frequent outages.

In a separate development, Iraq announced that it had resumed limited oil exports from fields in the northern province of Kirkuk. The exports are being routed through the Kurdistan Region and transported via pipeline to the Turkish port of Ceyhan.

However, the resumed exports amount to about 250,000 barrels per day, far below the 3.5 million barrels Iraq was exporting before the conflict intensified.

Iraq’s economy depends heavily on oil revenue, which accounts for nearly 90 percent of the country’s foreign income. The situation became even more complicated after Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route through which Iraq previously exported most of its southern oil from the Basra region.

As geopolitical tensions continue to escalate, Iraq finds itself navigating a delicate and dangerous balance. The temporary truce may offer a brief moment of relief, but the broader conflict still threatens to pull the country deeper into instability.

For ordinary Iraqis, the consequences of these political and military struggles are deeply personal. Behind every headline about rockets, diplomacy, and oil routes are families trying to keep the lights on, workers worried about the future of their livelihoods, and communities hoping that calm will return before the next wave of violence begins.

The coming days will determine whether this fragile pause becomes the first step toward de-escalation or merely a short break in a conflict that continues to reshape the region.