On December 13, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemned two recent attacks by Iran’s proxies in Iraq. Pompeo warned Tehran that the United States would respond decisively to attacks against U.S. interests or allies in the region. “Iran must respect the sovereignty of its neighbors and immediately cease its provision of lethal aid and support to third parties in Iraq and throughout the region,” he said. The following is a statement by Pompeo.
We strongly condemn the Iranian proxy attack that wounded five Iraqi soldiers near the Baghdad Airport this week. To Iran’s leaders - the U.S. will respond decisively if #Iran or its proxies harm U.S. personnel or our Iraqi partners.
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) December 13, 2019
Statement by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
Iran’s proxies have recently conducted several attacks against bases where Iraqi Security Forces are co-located with U.S. and International Coalition personnel. On December 9, they launched a rocket attack against an Iraqi facility located on the Baghdad International Airport compound. The December 9 attack wounded five Iraqi soldiers, two critically. This was followed by another rocket attack on the airport on December 11. We hope and pray these brave Iraqis will quickly and fully recover from their injuries.
The United States will continue to work hand-in-hand with our Iraqi partners, including the Iraqi Security Forces, which played a pivotal role in reclaiming Iraq’s sovereignty from ISIS. We must also use this opportunity to remind Iran’s leaders that any attacks by them, or their proxies of any identity, that harm Americans, our allies, or our interests will be answered with a decisive U.S. response. Iran must respect the sovereignty of its neighbors and immediately cease its provision of lethal aid and support to third parties in Iraq and throughout the region.