United States Embassy in Baghdad

Operating under Level 4 security alert with non-emergency staff evacuated

A missile struck the helipad inside the United States Embassy compound in Baghdad on March 14, destroying part of the air defense system designed to shoot down exactly this kind of incoming fire. The Counter-Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar system, its radar station, and a satellite communications array were all knocked out, leaving the largest US embassy in the world significantly more vulnerable to the hundreds of attacks that Iran-aligned militias have launched since the US and Israel began striking Iran on February 28.

Updated Yesterday

Suspended routine services; urging American nationals to depart

Iraq has depended on Iranian gas for roughly a third of its electricity since the mid-2010s. On the evening of March 4, 2026, a sudden drop in gas supplies to the Rumaila power plant in southern Iraq triggered a loss of 1,900 megawatts, which cascaded through the national grid and shut down power to all 18 provinces. More than 44 million people went dark, hospitals lost grid power, and communications networks faltered, all while US and Iranian missiles were crisscrossing the region around them.

Updated Mar 4