US Inaugurates $700M Embassy in Baghdad

Vice president unharmed; will meet with Iraqi political leaders

(NEWSER) - Mortar rounds exploded near the US Embassy in downtown Baghdad today during a surprise visit by Joe Biden, the New York Times reports. The vice president was inside the embassy compound when two mortars struck apartment buildings across the street. Two more rounds landed near the compound but didn’t explode, the AP notes. No word yet on casualties, and Biden's whereabouts are being kept secret for security reasons. More»

Officials cite Iraqi obstructionism, mutual suspicion for thwarting mission

(NEWSER) - The United States' hulking $750 million Baghdad embassy is home to 16,000 staff and carries a $6 billion price tag annually—and it's about to get slashed in half in the wake of US troops' departure, reports the New York Times . It's quite the about-face for the State Department, which recently spent a year planning a buildup that has given it a diplomatic presence larger than any in the world. But it apparently neglected to clear its plan with Iraq: Embassy officials now blame Iraqi obstructionism for everything from delayed food supplies to hefty waits for American visas, and say that security concerns have left them largely cloistered within their four walls. More»

State Department is operating surveillance drones in the country

(NEWSER) - Many Iraqi officials are outraged that the US is operating drones in the country a month after the American military left, calling the drones a violation of Iraq's sovereignty, reports the New York Times . It's the State Department, not the CIA or Pentagon, that's behind the program, and it says the drones—which are surveillance, not armed, drones—are only there to help provide security to our embassy and consulates. But many Iraq officials bristle at suggestion. “Our sky is our sky, not the USA’s sky," said Iraq's acting minister of the interior, who, along with other officials, says the US has yet to request formal approval from Iraq to run the program. More»

Policy reversal may be gesture of goodwill ahead of nuclear talks

(NEWSER) - Iran has changed its policy on three detained US hikers, allowing Swiss diplomats—who represent American interests in Iran—to visit them. Officials have been denied access to the three Americans since they were detained in July after crossing the border from Iraqi Kurdistan into Iran. Tehran’s reversal may be an attempt to smooth relations with the US ahead of Thursday’s UN Security Council meetings, which will deal with the nation’s nuclear ambitions, the BBC reports. More»

(AP) - Four US soldiers were killed in combat shortly before the American military completed a withdrawal from Iraq's cities last night. But prime minister Nouri al-Maliki assured Iraqis in a televised address today that government forces are in control: "Those who think that Iraqis are not able to protect their country and that the withdrawal of foreign forces will create a security vacuum are committing a big mistake." More»