Iraqi Prime Minister says Iran warned him about strikes on military bases

A spokesperson for Iraq's outgoing Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi has released a statement in the wake of the Iranian attacks, stating that his country "rejects any violation of its sovereignty and aggression on its lands."

The statement added that he had received a notification from Iran about the attacks, and was given assurances they would be "limited to the whereabouts of the American army in Iraq without specifying its location."

"We have not received any casualties so far on the Iraqi side, and we have not officially received the losses on the side of the coalition forces," it said.

"We have called, and we call on all, to exercise restraint, prevail over the language of reason, adhere to international covenants, respect the Iraqi state, and the decisions of its government, and help it to contain and overcome this serious crisis threatening it, the region, and the world with a devastating, comprehensive war."

It added that the prime minister was "making the necessary internal and external contacts in an attempt to contain the situation and not engage in open warfare" warning that otherwise "Iraq and the region will be among the first victims."