WASHINGTON

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered condolences to Iraq’s Kurdish region following a deadly Iranian missile attack that killed six Peshmerga fighters, the State Department said Thursday.

Rubio also “strongly condemned” the continued attacks by Iran and Iran-aligned militias against US citizens and energy infrastructure across Iraq, according to a readout of his phone call with Iraq's Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani.

He also “expressed gratitude” to the KRG for enabling oil from Iraq, it added.

Separately, US Ambassador to Türkiye and Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said Washington remains committed to the region’s security.

“I had a conversation with Barzani… in which I conveyed my president's commitment to help them with their security,” Barrack told reporters following a panel at the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC.

The remarks came after six Peshmerga fighters were killed and 30 others injured when Iranian ballistic missiles struck military positions in Erbil’s Soran district, according to the KRG authorities, who described the attack as a “hostile” act.

The attack came amid a regional escalation that has continued to flare since the US and Israel launched a joint offensive on Iran on Feb. 28, killing so far over 1,340 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, along with Iraq, Jordan, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.