Pompeo Speaks to Iraqi President, Says US Committed to De-escalation of Tensions in Middle East

Washington D.C. [USA], Jan 4 (ANI): US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo on Saturday spoke to Iraqi President Barham Salih to discuss developments in the Middle East following the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and assured that Washington is committed to de-escalation of tensions in the region."Discussed with Iraqi President Salih @realDonaldTrump's decision to take defensive action to protect US personnel and interests abroad, and I reaffirmed that the US remains committed to de-escalation," Pompeo tweeted.Pompeo also spoke with Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and discussed the "defensive action" of US President Donald Trump over Soleimani's killing."Today, Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu and I discussed the decisive defensive action @realDonaldTrump employed in Baghdad to protect American lives. I reiterated the importance of countering the Iranian regime's destabilising activities," he said.The United Arab Emirates is "concerned over the Iranian regime's continued military provocations," the top US diplomat added.The telephonic conversation comes after Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC) Quds Force, was killed on Friday near Baghdad's international airport in an airstrike ordered by Trump.The neighbours, including Afghanistan, Syria, Russia and others have voiced concerns and have called on Iran and the US to exercise restraint amid the escalating tensions and avoid "taking Iraq and the region into endless violence."Iran has vowed to take a "vigorous revenge" over the killing of Soleimani. (ANI)

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