Foreign Policy > Iraq

America Must Destroy Iran’s Militias in Iraq

Washington cannot maintain strength and credibility if it allows militias to continue escalating attacks against the U.S. embassy and other U.S.-affiliated sites.

Sam Butler | March 21, 2026

What we must hope is that all those responsible for America’s national security completely, viscerally understand that the United States is under attack. Not in theory, not in some distant theater, and not even in Iran (although that’s true, too). This attack is in Iraq, where Iranian proxies are waging a hot war against the U.S.

In Baghdad—inside one of the most fortified diplomatic compounds in the world—drones and rockets are striking the U.S. Embassy with increasing frequency. (See, e.g., here, here, and here.) These assaults are carried out by militias under Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), armed factions that function as extensions of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

These militants are trained, financed, and guided by Tehran’s Quds Force, and they operate with lethal autonomy, targeting American personnel and assets while hiding behind the veneer of the Iraqi state. Iraq’s government, which made them an official part of the Iraqi state security apparatus in 2016, provides them cover, legitimacy, and resources, funding their salaries, arms, and logistics even as they carry out attacks against U.S. interests.

Militias operating from within Iraq are launching coordinated attacks on American personnel, facilities, and interests, testing Washington’s willingness to respond.

This is no longer a shadow conflict. It is not a warning phase. It is a campaign unfolding from within a state that claims partnership with the United States while tolerating and politically shielding the actors carrying it out.

These militias have declared war on the United States. With Baghdad’s rote condemnations lacking any credibility, Washington must respond accordingly.

Nor can the attacks be written off as random. Instead, the pattern of escalation is unmistakable. On March 16, drones struck the Al-Rasheed Hotel inside Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone—the same district housing government buildings and the U.S. Embassy—while rockets and additional drones targeted American diplomatic and military positions. Attacks extended to Erbil and other locations across Iraq, demonstrating both reach and coordination. Oil infrastructure, including the Majnoon field, has also been drawn into the target set.

Senior Iraqi voices are acknowledging the gravity of the moment. Former Iraqi foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari warned these attacks amount to an “all-out war” by militia factions seeking to drag Iraq fully into conflict. Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Iraq and Iran, Victoria J. Taylor has noted that attacks on civilian sites and diplomatic missions are not isolated—they reflect a broader pattern eroding Iraqi state authority:

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