Pompeo to Iran: ‘Decisive Response’ if US Interests Harmed in Iraq

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has threatened Iran with a “decisive response” amid a flurry of recent attacks attributed to Shi’ite paramilitary forces on Iraqi bases and civilian infrastructure used by American troops. “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,” the top US diplomat said in a statement. The warning comes in the wake of two rocket attacks last week in Baghdad – one targeting a military compound and the other an airport – both of which Pompeo blamed on Iranian-aligned fighters. Iraq has been rattled by months-long mass demonstrations sparked by anger over poor living conditions, but which quickly descended into calls to curb Tehran’s interventionism in the country. A brutal crackdown, reportedly directed by Qasem Soleimani, leader of an elite branch of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, is estimated to have killed over 450 demonstrators. While the chaos has forced Iraq’s prime minister to resign, the unrest has persisted over concerns that Tehran is pressuring Iraqi politicians to preserve what is widely viewed as a corrupt system in Baghdad that benefits the Islamic Republic.