Iraq says it is seeking clarity from US authorities after two diplomats were declared unwelcome.
The Iraqi Foreign Ministry said that it is in contact with Washington on the reasons behind the move. It denied suggestions that the measures “constitute expulsion in the legal and diplomatic sense”.
The ministry added that the move “falls under the category of expressing a desire to no longer have a diplomat working on US territory”.
It said that one of the diplomats in question was continuing to do his duties as normal and will depart at the end of this month.
The statement from the ministry came after Iraqi media reported that the US ordered the expulsion of two Iraqi diplomats posted in Washington and Texas respectively.
According to the reports, one of the diplomats was outside the US when the order was issued, while the second was given 48 hours to depart the country.
The ministry said that the reports included inaccurate information regarding “the description of the situation, the time periods, and the deadline for departure”.
It added that Iraqi-US relations are based on mutual respect and common interests, and are managed in accordance with established diplomatic frameworks and norms.
The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations governs how states interact. Under article 9 of the convention, the host country can “at any time and for any reason” declare a person to be persona non grata – unwelcome in their country.
