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Pompeo dismisses Iraqi leader’s call for all foreign troops to leave Pompeo dismisses Iraqi leader’s call for all foreign troops to leave
(about 1 hour later)
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday dismissed calls by Iraq’s caretaker prime minister for a timetable for all foreign troops to exit the country, in the wake of a U.S. strike that killed top Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani, arguing that the Iraqi people want the United States to remain and continue the fight against terrorism.Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday dismissed calls by Iraq’s caretaker prime minister for a timetable for all foreign troops to exit the country, in the wake of a U.S. strike that killed top Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani, arguing that the Iraqi people want the United States to remain and continue the fight against terrorism.
Pompeo appeared on all of the Sunday morning news shows to discuss U.S. strategy following the strike, which also killed eight others, including Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a powerful Iraqi militia leader.Pompeo appeared on all of the Sunday morning news shows to discuss U.S. strategy following the strike, which also killed eight others, including Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a powerful Iraqi militia leader.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo joined FOX News Sunday to discuss breaking news regarding heightened US-Iran tensions in the wake of an attack that killed Soleimani. The Trump administration says he was planning imminent attacks. Secretary Pompeo reacts. #FNS #foxnews pic.twitter.com/zo7nkdtrZ1Secretary of State Mike Pompeo joined FOX News Sunday to discuss breaking news regarding heightened US-Iran tensions in the wake of an attack that killed Soleimani. The Trump administration says he was planning imminent attacks. Secretary Pompeo reacts. #FNS #foxnews pic.twitter.com/zo7nkdtrZ1
Earlier Sunday, Iraqi leader Adel Abdul Mahdi called the U.S. strike “a political assassination” and told parliament that the government must establish a timetable for the withdrawal of all foreign troops “for the sake of our national sovereignty.”Earlier Sunday, Iraqi leader Adel Abdul Mahdi called the U.S. strike “a political assassination” and told parliament that the government must establish a timetable for the withdrawal of all foreign troops “for the sake of our national sovereignty.”
But Pompeo brushed aside those remarks, calling Mahdi “the resigned prime minister” and “the acting prime minister.” Pompeo brushed aside those remarks, calling Mahdi “the resigned prime minister” and “the acting prime minister.” Mahdi resigned in November amid sustained anti-government protests in Iraq but has been operating in a caretaker role.
“He’s under enormous threats from the very Iranian leadership that it is that we are pushing back against,” Pompeo said on “Fox News Sunday.” “We are confident that the Iraqi people want the United States to continue to be there to fight the counterterror campaign. And we’ll continue to do all the things we need to do to keep America safe.”“He’s under enormous threats from the very Iranian leadership that it is that we are pushing back against,” Pompeo said on “Fox News Sunday.” “We are confident that the Iraqi people want the United States to continue to be there to fight the counterterror campaign. And we’ll continue to do all the things we need to do to keep America safe.”
Pressed by host Chris Wallace on what the United States will do if the Iraqi parliament demands that American troops leave the country, Pompeo declined to say. Iraqi lawmakers responded to Mahdi's remarks by passing a nonbinding resolution calling for an end to the foreign troop presence in the country. To cancel the agreement that grants U.S. and foreign troops access to Iraqi territory, however, parliament must pass binding legislation.
Pressed by host Chris Wallace on what the United States will do if the Iraqi parliament passes such a measure, Pompeo declined to say.
“We’ll have to take a look at what we do when the Iraqi leadership and government makes a decision,” he said. “But the American people should know we’ll make the right decision. We will take actions that, frankly, the previously administration refused to take to do just that.”“We’ll have to take a look at what we do when the Iraqi leadership and government makes a decision,” he said. “But the American people should know we’ll make the right decision. We will take actions that, frankly, the previously administration refused to take to do just that.”
In an interview on ABC News’s “This Week,” Pompeo was asked about President Trump’s Saturday night tweet pledging to target 52 unspecified Iranian sites, “some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture,” should Iran retaliate for Soleimani’s death by striking any Americans or American assets. Democrats on the Sunday morning news shows continued to hammer the Trump administration over the strike, with some renewing their criticism that it will increase, not decrease, the likelihood that the United States will remain embroiled in the “endless wars” that President Trump has long pledged to wind down.
“I really worry that the actions the president took will get us into what he calls another ‘endless war’ in the Middle East,” Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on ABC News’s “This Week.” “He promised we wouldn’t have that. And I think we’re closer to that now because of his actions.”
Schumer also argued a host of questions still need to be answered by the administration. Foremost among them, he said, is: “What do we know Iran has in its range of retaliations, and how are we going to prepare for them?”
On Fox, Pompeo rebutted some of the criticism, arguing that reducing the U.S. troop presence abroad remains the administration’s overarching foreign-policy goal.
“Endless wars are the direct result of weakness, and President Trump will never let that happen,” Pompeo said. “We’re going to get it right. We’re going to get the force posture right. … But make no mistake: America’s mission is to have our footprint in the Middle East reduced while still keeping America safe from rogue regimes like the Islamic Republic of Iran and from terrorist activity, broadly, throughout the region.”
As news spread Sunday morning of Mahdi’s remarks and the parliament vote, however, some Democrats argued that by killing Soleimani, the Trump administration had inadvertently advanced his goal of undermining U.S. influence in Iraq.
“We have parliament meeting to talk about expelling U.S. forces,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said on “Fox News Sunday.” “What was Soleimani’s main goal in Iraq? It was to get the Americans out, to undermine our influence. So, we seem to have accomplished what Soleimani was trying to do but couldn’t. So in death, he’s actually accomplished his goal. That turns back U.S. interests in the region.”
Van Hollen also argued that although Soleimani was “a very bad, despicable guy,” the Trump administration had erred in carrying out the strike because “you have to look at what the consequences are.”
“We don’t go around killing all the very bad people in the world,” Van Hollen said. “We have President Trump embracing Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, who’s got a lot of blood on his hands and is responsible for the death of Otto Warmbier, an American citizen, and yet he’s getting love letters from the president of the United States.”
In an interview on “This Week,” Pompeo was also asked about Trump’s Saturday night tweet pledging to target 52 unspecified Iranian sites, “some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture,” should Iran retaliate for Soleimani’s death by striking any Americans or American assets.
Those sites, and Iran itself, “WILL BE HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD,” Trump tweeted, adding, “The USA wants no more threats!”Those sites, and Iran itself, “WILL BE HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD,” Trump tweeted, adding, “The USA wants no more threats!”
Trump’s tweet drew swift condemnation, with critics arguing that striking cultural sites would be a war crime.Trump’s tweet drew swift condemnation, with critics arguing that striking cultural sites would be a war crime.
Pompeo insisted Sunday that the United States will “behave lawfully” and “inside the system.”Pompeo insisted Sunday that the United States will “behave lawfully” and “inside the system.”
“Previous administrations let militias take shots at us and we responded in theater,” he said on “This Week.” “We have told the Iranian regime, ‘Enough.’ We’re going to respond against the actual decision-makers, the people who are causing the threat.” “Previous administrations let militias take shots at us and we responded in theater,” he said. “We have told the Iranian regime, ‘Enough.’ We’re going to respond against the actual decision-makers, the people who are causing the threat.”
Paige Winfield Cunningham and Tony Romm in Washington and Erin Cunningham in Istanbul contributed to this report. Andrew Van Dam in Washington and Erin Cunningham in Istanbul contributed to this report.