Pompeo Makes Unannounced Visit to Baghdad Amid Rising Tensions with Iran by Carol Morello and Missy Ryan – Washington Post
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made a sudden, unscheduled trip to Baghdad 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 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…