Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made a last-minute trip to Iraq amid reported threats to U.S. personnel in the country from neighboring Iran and heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran.
The surprise visit came just two days after the U.S. announced plans to move an aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East ahead of schedule and warnings from Iran that it would halt implementation of some parts of the nuclear deal. Wednesday marks one year since President Donald Trump withdrew from the agreement and began an economic pressure campaign to squeeze the Iranian government.
Late Sunday night, the White House announced that the USS Abraham Lincoln and a bomber task force were being deployed in response to unspecified "troubling and escalatory indications and warnings" of a threat from Iran, although the Pentagon later confirmed the aircraft carrier was already scheduled to stop in the region. U.S. officials told ABC News there were "clear indications" Iranian and Iranian proxy forces were preparing for a possible attack against U.S. forces on land, including in Iraq and Syria, and at sea.
(MORE: Aircraft carrier sent to Middle East after indications Iran planned attack on US forces)"This would be an effort to take American forces out that continue our campaign against ISIS," Pompeo said Tuesday of the threat, after departing Baghdad. "These were attacks that were imminent. These were attacks that were going to happen fairly soon. We've learned about them, and we're taking every action to deter them."