Tehran has denied that it orchestrated the protests at the Baghdad embassy.
BAGHDAD (Agencies) — Protesters who have been demonstrating outside the US embassy in Iraq for a second day have withdrawn from the area after a tense standoff.
On Tuesday, the embassy was attacked by a crowd angered by US air strikes targeting an ‘Iran-backed’ militia.
Clashes continued on Wednesday as demonstrators hurled stones while US forces fired tear gas, reports BBC.com.
The hostilities came amid escalating tension between the US and Iran – the two main Iraqi government sponsors.
Tuesday’s attack – which sparked a war of words between US President Donald Trump and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – had threatened to escalate, with the US defence secretary announcing the deployment of additional troops to the region.
But by Wednesday evening, the Iraqi government announced that all groups had withdrawn from the perimeter of the US embassy in Baghdad following an appeal for calm.
A small group of protesters however began to set up a camp in front of a nearby hotel.
President Trump has threatened Iran after blaming it for Tuesday’s attack, in which no US personnel were injured. Mr Trump tweeted that Iran “will pay a very big price” for any damage or loss of life. “This is not a warning, it is a threat,” he said.
But Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei responded by saying the US “can’t do a damn thing”. Anti-American sentiment was widespread in Iraq, he added.
Tehran has denied that it orchestrated the protests at the Baghdad embassy.
