Office of the Spokesperson
The below is attributable to Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus:
Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo spoke today with Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abd al-Mahdi. Secretary Pompeo expressed his outrage at the continued assaults by Iran’s armed groups against U.S. facilities in Iraq, including yesterday’s rocket attacks against our Embassy, which resulted in one injury. The Secretary underlined once again that these attacks demonstrate a wanton disregard for Iraqi sovereignty and a failure to rein in these dangerous armed groups. He appreciated Prime Minister Abd al-Mahdi’s commitment to strengthen security to protect American personnel and diplomatic facilities. The Secretary noted that we view last night’s attack on the Embassy as an attempt to distract Iraqi and international attention away from the brutal suppression of peaceful Iraqi protesters by Iran and its proxies. Secretary Pompeo encouraged the Prime Minister to maintain Iraqi sovereignty, and reaffirmed the United States’ enduring commitment to the Iraqi people, our willingness to discuss the scope of our forces in Iraq over time, and our desire for a strong and prosperous Iraq, as outlined in our bilateral Strategic Framework Agreement.