WASHINGTON – Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made an unannounced stop in Iraq Tuesday, meeting with high-level government officials amid increased tensions in the region.…
WASHINGTON – Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made an unannounced stop in Iraq Tuesday, meeting with high-level government officials amid increased tensions in the region.
Pompeo’s stop in Baghdad came as Pentagon rushed additional military muscle, including B-52 bombers, to the Middle East to counter Iranian threats to U. S. troops on the ground and at sea.
“Iran is escalating their activity,” Pompeo told reporters en route to Baghdad. “I wanted to go to Baghdad to speak with the leadership there, to assure them that we stood ready to continue to ensure that Iraq is a sovereign, independent nation.”
Pompeo made the stop after abruptly cancelling a trip to Berlin earlier Tuesday, with the State Department citing unspecified “pressing issues.” Pompeo had been scheduled to meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel and Germany’s foreign minister to discuss Ukraine, Russia, Syria and other thorny issues.
Instead, Pompeo met with Iraq’s defense and intelligence chiefs, as well as the country’s foreign minister and several other officials.
