Iran has announced it will roll back its commitments to the 2015 nuclear accord amid heigtened tensions over the US killing of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani. Additionally - Iraqi MPs want all foreign military to leave the country, amid a growing backlash against the US killing which took place Baghdad airport. New Zealand has up to 45 military personnel in a non-combat training role at Taji Military Complex in Iraq, and had already planned to withdraw all troops by June this year.
The government released a statement over the weekend in response to the attack - but made no mention of the New Zealand troops who are on the ground. In the statement, the Foreign Affairs Minister, Winston Peters acknowledged the US' concerns about Iran but also called for de-escalation in the region. To break this all down we are joined by Alexander Gillespie, who is a professor of International Relations at Waikato University.
Photo: MOHAMMAD TAGHI / TASNIM NEWS / AFP
