In Iraq, the armed groups "Kataib-i Hezbollah" and "Harakat al-Nujaba" linked to Iran are terrorist organizations.

Axar.az reports that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said this during a telephone conversation with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani.

Austin discussed attacks on US targets by Iran-aligned forces and said that the aforementioned armed groups were responsible for these attacks.

"The Iraqi government is obliged to protect the diplomatic staff in the country and the international anti-ISIS coalition forces. The United States has the right to defend itself against these attacks," he said.