Iran commander requested Iraqi armed groups pause attacks on US targets

A visit by the commander of Iran's elite Quds Force to Baghdad, less than 48 hours after three US soldiers were killed in Jordan in January, has led to a halt in attacks on American troops in Iraq, Iranian and Iraqi sources told Reuters.

The sources said the visit marked Tehran's desire to prevent a broader conflict in the region, after Iran-aligned groups ramped up attacks on US targets in Iraq and Syria over Israel's war on Gaza.

Esmail Qaani met representatives of several armed groups in Baghdad airport on 29 January, two days after Washington blamed groups for the attack that killed its soldiers, the sources said.

The strike on Tower 22 in a remote sliver of northeast Jordan sent a shockwave through Washington, as it marked the first public deaths of US soldiers since attacks on US troops began, following the outbreak of the war on Gaza in October.

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