WASHINGTON -- Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi of Iraq on Wednesday sharply criticized Saudi Arabia's military intervention in Yemen, saying there was "no logic" to its bombing campaign.
Al-Abadi's comments illustrated the challenges confronted by President Barack Obama's administration as it tries to hold together a diverse coalition that includes Sunni Arab states and Shiite-dominated Iraq against the Islamic State militant group.
Saudi officials have insisted that their airstrikes, which they named Operation Decisive Storm, have been effective in weakening the Houthi forces that overran the Yemeni capital, who they say have been supported by Iran.
But al-Abadi dismissed the contention that the Houthis, who are based in northwestern Yemen, were "Iranian proxies" and said that the fighting in Yemen had created huge humanitarian problems.
"There is no logic to the operation at all in the first place," al-Abadi said. "Mainly, the problem of Yemen is within Yemen."
He also voiced concerns that Saudi airstrikes might be a precursor for a more assertive Saudi military role in the region.
"The dangerous thing is we don't know what the Saudis want to do after this," al-Abadi said. "Is Iraq within their radar? That's very, very dangerous. The idea that you intervene in another state unprovoked just for regional ambition is wrong. Saddam has done it before. See what it has done to the country."
Al-Abadi, who this week is making his first official visit to Washington, spoke to a small group of reporters at Blair House, the White House guest residence for visiting dignitaries.
The Iraqi leader met Tuesday with Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry. During his visit, al-Abadi also plans to meet with Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, congressional leaders, top executives from oil companies and banks, and the heads of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
Al-Abadi said the Saudi airstrikes had put the Obama administration in a difficult position and added that the White House was eager to pursue a political solution.
The Obama administration has sought to reassure Saudi Arabia and Arab states that it is attuned to their security concerns, especially as it tries to complete a nuclear accord with Iran, their regional adversary. It has also sought to work closely with Iraq in the campaign against the Islamic State.
"Can you work both sides?" al-Abadi asked rhetorically, referring to the Obama administration. "They want to stop this conflict as soon as possible."
"What I understand from the administration, the Saudis are not helpful on this," he added. "They don't want a cease-fire now."
James Jeffrey, a former U.S. ambassador to Baghdad, said al-Abadi's remarks reflected Iraqi concerns that sectarian tensions in the region might escalate further with devastating consequences for Iraq.
"The underlying fear in the whole Middle East, given the weak state system in most countries, is this three-way tug of war between Iran, Sunni Arab states and the Sunni Islamist militant movements," Jeffrey said.
Elsewhere on Wednesday, Egypt and Saudi Arabia were considering whether to hold joint military exercises in Yemen as airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition continued to pound Shiite rebels.
The airstrikes targeting Yemeni rebels known as Houthis began on March 26 in an effort to halt their advance across the Arab world's poorest country. Hundreds have been killed and more than 121,000 have been displaced in the turmoil.
The Houthis have captured Yemen's capital, Sanaa, and forced Western- and Persian Gulf-backed President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi to flee the country.
A statement late Tuesday from Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi's office after he met Saudi Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman said they had agreed to form a commission to investigate whether to hold "a major strategic exercise" in the kingdom involving Egyptian, Saudi and other Persian Gulf forces.
The statement gave no further details about the exercise. Egypt, a member of the anti-Houthi coalition, has said in the past that it would send ground forces into Yemen if the military deemed it necessary.
In Iran, President Hassan Rouhani condemned Saudi Arabia over the airstrikes, accusing it of colluding with the U.S. and seeking to dominate the region.
"Why are you dropping bombs on innocent people in Yemen by employing donated aircrafts from the U.S.?" he said in a speech broadcast on state television. "Why are you destroying all the infrastructure of a weak country?"
Information for this article was contributed by Michael R. Gordon of The New York Times and by staff members of The Associated Press.
A Section on 04/16/2015