Iraq WARNED of ‘imminent’ attacks from Iran by US Sec. of State Pompeo as tensions SURGE

Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi promised to guarantee the safety of US from Iran in a meeting with the US Secretary of State in Baghdad on Tuesday. Mr Pompeo said the trip was made due to Iranian forces “escalating their activity” and mentioned the threat of attacks were “very specific”. The meeting regarded the safety of Americans in Iraq as Mr Pompeo explained the US security concerns amid rising Iranian activity.

The visit came two days after US national security adviser John Bolton said the US was deploying a bomber task force to the region because of a “credible threat by Iranian regime forces.”

The concern about a threat from Iranian forces comes after Washington has ramped up sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear program in recent months.

The Trump administration has also designated the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist group.

Mr Pompeo told reporters: “We talked to them about the importance of Iraq ensuring that it’s able to adequately protect Americans in their country.”

READ MORE: Iran warning: Tehran agents ‘on the ground’ in Venezuela

An Iraqi government source confirmed the meeting with Abdul Mahdi but did not elaborate on the details.

Mr Pompeo added the purpose of the meeting also was to let Iraqi officials know more about “the increased threat stream that we had seen” so they could effectively protect US forces.

He expressed US support for Iraqi sovereignty and said: “We don’t want anyone interfering in their country, certainly not by attacking another nation inside of Iraq.”

Mr Pompeo added: “The message that we’ve sent to the Iranians, I hope, puts us in a position where we can deter and the Iranians will think twice about attacking American interests.”

The US Secretary of State commented on Washington’s stance to move a bomber task force to the region.

He said Washington wanted to defend its interests from the Iranian threat and ensure it had the forces necessary to accomplish that goal.

He said the United States has urged Iraq to move quickly to bring Iranian-influenced independent militias under central government control, noting that they make Iraq “a less stable nation.”

Mr Pompeo also said he spoke to Iraqi officials about their energy and infrastructure needs, especially in the electricity, oil and natural gas sectors.

He said they discussed ways to quickly move forward with projects that could help improve Iraqi lives.

source: express.co.uk