WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd January, 2020) US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the Iraqi Parliament speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi agreed in a phone conversation that the government of Iraq had an obligation to prevent further attacks against American Embassy in Baghdad, the State Department's spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said.
"Secretary Pompeo expressed his appreciation for the condemnation of the December 31 Iran-backed terrorist attack on US Embassy... issued by the Speaker and the Coalition of Iraqi Forces political bloc," Ortagus said in a statement on Thursday. "The Secretary and the Speaker agreed that the Government of Iraq had an obligation to prevent further attacks against our diplomatic mission."
The Embassy was besieged on Tuesday by supporters of a pro-Iranian militia that came under American fire over the weekend. Protesters tried to break into the walled compound and set a section of its fence on fire. The United States blamed Iran for the attack and sent additional troops to the middle East to beef up security of its objects and personnel.
Iranian officials have denied allegations of orchestrating the protests.
