US Secretary of states visits Baghdad amid rising tensions with Iran

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made a sudden, unscheduled trip to Iraq’s capital on Tuesday as U.S. officials warned that Iran was positioning missiles that could be used against American forces in the region.

Pompeo’s surprise visit to Baghdad came on the eve of the first anniversary of President Trump’s withdrawal from a landmark nuclear agreement with Iran. Washington and Tehran have been exchanging increasingly belligerent rhetoric as the day approaches.

The Pentagon has ordered the deployment of an aircraft carrier and Air Force bombers in the Persian Gulf while warning of the threat posed by small Iranian boats suspected of carrying missiles.

Pompeo’s decision to break away from a European trip for the Middle East was cloaked in secrecy for security reasons. He abruptly canceled a visit to Germany, where he was scheduled to meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, with the State Department initially saying only that “pressing issues” had arisen.

After flying out of Baghdad late at night, Pompeo said he had told Iraqi President Barham Salih and Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi that they are responsible for protecting Americans in their country and briefed them on intelligence suggesting Iran is posing a greater threat.

“We wanted to let them know about the increased threat stream that we had seen and give them a little bit more background on that so they could ensure that they were doing all they could to provide protection for our team,” Pompeo told reporters. “They understood, too, it’s important for their country. We don’t want anyone interfering in their country . . . and there was complete agreement.”

Mr Pompeo said that he wanted to "speak with the leadership there [in Iraq], to assure them that we stood ready to continue to ensure that Iraq is a sovereign, independent nation".

He also said that he wanted to help them become less dependent on energy deals with Iran.

John Bolton, the US national security adviser, said only that the US was acting "in response to a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings" on announcing the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln on Sunday.