Iraq says it will resist attempts to drag it into the regional war, amid fears of Iran-linked militants launching attacks from Iraqi territory.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani told his cabinet on Tuesday that the Iraqi state alone will "decide on war and peace", official media said.
Authorities earlier announced they had seized a rocket launcher that could have fired nine missiles at Baghdad. They said a drone was shot down near the perimeter of a prison.
Iraq is home to an array of Iran-linked factions and has a US military presence, making it a potential flashpoint during the war. Since Iran came under attack by the US and Israel, a group called the Islamic Resistance in Iraq says it has launched swarms of drones and rockets at US troops.
Another group, Saraya Awliya Al Dam, claimed responsibility for attacking a US base in Erbil. More explosions were heard in Erbil on Tuesday evening, in an apparent drone interception near a vast US consulate.
A report by Al Arabiya claimed some attacks on Saudi Arabia were believed to have originated in Iraq. Authorities in the kingdom have made no such statement. They said the US embassy in Riyadh was attacked directly by Iran, calling the strike "cowardly and unjustified".
At the Iraqi cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Mr Al Sudani said the government was committed to defending Iraq's airspace and waters, and "preventing their exploitation in any way in the ongoing regional conflicts".
"The state, through its institutions, alone possesses the right to decide on war and peace, and the government will stand firmly against any party that attempts to drag Iraq into conflicts," he said.
Addressing the Iran crisis, he told ministers to monitor food supplies, keep essential services running and address any attempts at price-gouging.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein warned of "ongoing attacks" on the Kurdistan region, on the fourth day of the regional war. "Iraq is not a party to it, but its effects are becoming tangible on Iraqi soil," he said in a meeting with Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Toiu.
Iraq is in the process of forming a new government, which highlights the competing influence of the US and Iran. President Donald Trump's administration has threatened sanctions if Nouri Al Maliki, a former prime minister seen as close to Iran, is reinstated as Iraqi leader. Mr Al Sudani withdrew his candidacy in January although some believe he still has designs on a second term.
Experts have told The National that some Iran-linked groups may hold back to preserve their position in Iraqi politics, but the situation is moving quickly. Lebanon's Hezbollah, another group close to Iran, had indicated restraint before the conflict but has now exchanged fire with Israel for two days straight.
