“They understood, too, it’s important for their country.”Pompeo’s visit came as the Trump administration intensified its pressure campaign against Iran. Pompeo would not be specific about the more recent threat information involving Iran except that they involved “imminent” plans for attacks. The “campaign to continue to prevent ISIS terror inside of Iraq itself is something that’s very central ... to the Iraqi government,” Pompeo said. Iraq has a close relationship with the U.S., which is leading the international coalition in the war against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria. But Iraq is also tightly enmeshed with Iran in trade, security and political matters, and it has been loath to antagonize its larger neighbor.

Source: Washington Post May 07, 2019 21:22 UTC