Iraq Becomes United States-Iran Proxy Battleground

Iraq is once again caught in the middle of a proxy conflict between the United States and Iran, leading to widespread anxiety and disruption. Following a United States-Israeli attack on Tehran, Iraq closed its airspace, and the country has since become a chaotic danger zone with air strikes on Iranian-backed militias, attacks targeting United States interests, and Iranian strikes against exiled Kurdish opposition groups. Iraq===Baghdad has experienced direct strikes, including an attack on the United States embassy and the targeting of Baghdad International Airport. This renewed conflict has devastated the country, which has already spent much of the past four decades in conflict and under international sanctions, including the period following the 2003 United States-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.