Iraq PM: Saudi Attack on Yemen Could Lead to Regional Sectarian War

White House Denies Having a Problem With Yemen War

Fresh off his visit to the White House, Iraqi Premier Hayder Abadi expressed serious concerns about the Saudi attack on Yemen, warning it could quickly escalate into a region-wide sectarian war.

Facing non-stop sectarian war themselves, Iraqis are understandably sensitive to anything that might make matters even worse. Abadi claimed to have spoken to Obama about this, and said the US “shares his concerns” on the war.

The White House was quick to deny this, however, saying they have no problem with the Saudi war at all. That’s unsurprising, of course, because while they haven’t exactly publicized the fact, the US military is participating in the war.

Saudi Ambassador to the US Adel al-Jubeir slammed the criticism of his country’s war, saying Abadi should focus on the problems in his own country and not worry about who the Saudis are invading at any given moment.

The US being on Iraq’s side against Sunni insurgents in that country, and backing Saudi Arabia’s Sunni coalition in attacking Shi’ites in Yemen is making their regional position harder and harder to justify to nations therein.

The US has long done whatever seems expedient at any given time in the Middle East, which somehow always seems to be war, but as their interventions grow the lack of justification for them is becoming more and more obvious.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.