02.03.2026 Iraqi riot police fired warning shots and tear gas to disperse pro-Iran protesters and mourners near the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. Hundreds gathered to express grief and outrage after a US-Israeli attack killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of pro-Iranian protesters who had gathered outside the Green Zone diplomatic compound in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, where the US embassy is located pic.twitter.com/lqmwDig9X7
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 2, 2026
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Hundreds of Iraqis attempted to storm Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone on Sunday, March 1, where the U.S. embassy is located. The reaction of indignation caused by the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei in the targeted U.S. missile attack.
“Their attempts had been thwarted so far, but they keep trying,” a security source told AFP.
AFP’s journalist said protesters, some holding flags of pro-Iran armed groups, threw stones at security forces, who responded with tear gas. Local media reported similar protests in other provinces in southern Iraq.
Several Iran-backed Iraqi armed groups said they will not remain “neutral” and will defend the Islamic Republic. The powerful group Kata’ib Hezbollah said it will attack U.S. bases after two of its fighters were killed in air strikes in southern Iraq.
Early Sunday, loud explosions were heard near Erbil airport, which hosts U.S.-led coalition troops in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region, an AFP journalist reported. He also confirmed seeing thick black smoke rising from the airport area.
Shortly after, a small pro-Iran group claimed drone attacks on U.S. troops in Erbil.
On Saturday, U.S.-led coalition forces downed several missiles and explosive-laden drones over Erbil, local authorities said.
Police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of pro-Iran protesters as they tried to storm the US embassy in Baghdad’s Green Zone amid rising regional tensions. pic.twitter.com/ECOp8ixXjA
— DW News (@dwnews) March 1, 2026
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