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Intel: US marshals diplomatic support after Iraq embassy attack

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is busy marshalling support for the United States in the region as Iraq becomes ground zero in the escalating feud between Washington and Tehran.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivers remarks on human rights in Iran at the State Department in Washington, U.S., December 19, 2019. REUTERS/Erin Scott - RC2GYD9O9ZC9
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivers remarks on human rights in Iran at the State Department in Washington, US, Dec. 19, 2019. — REUTERS/Erin Scott

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is busy marshalling support for the United States in the region as Iraq becomes ground zero in the escalating feud between Washington and Tehran. Iran-backed militias may have ended their siege on the US Embassy in Baghdad, but more trouble may yet lie ahead for the troubled US-Iraqi security partnership.

Why it matters: Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi has agreed to hold a vote on expelling American forces from Iraq under a deal reached with the Kataib Hezbollah militia, a potentially contentious point as the United States seeks to continue its maximum pressure campaign against Iran and continue its campaign against the lingering Islamic State cells.

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