![\"U.S.](\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/05\/The_Iran_Regime_Threat_Extends_Much_Further_Than_the_Middle_East.jpg\" "\\"The_Iran_Regime_Threat_Extends_Much_Further_Than_the_Middle_East\\"")
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\u200cBy Amir Taghati<\/p>\n
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo\u2019s surprise visit to Baghdad this month came after American intelligence showed Iran-backed Shi\u2019ite militias positioning rockets near bases housing U.S. forces, according to two Iraqi security sources.<\/p>\n
Pompeo told Iraq\u2019s top brass to keep the militias, which are expanding their power in Iraq and now form part of its security apparatus, in check, the sources told Reuters. If not, the U.S. would respond with force.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe message from the Americans was clear. They wanted guarantees that Iraq would stop those groups threatening U.S. interests,\u201d a senior Iraqi military source with knowledge of Pompeo\u2019s trip said, according to Reuters.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey said if the U.S. were attacked on Iraqi soil, it would take action to defend itself without coordinating with Baghdad.\u201d<\/p>\n
The U.S. State Department declined to comment on the details of Pompeo\u2019s discussions. He had said after the trip: \u201cWe don\u2019t want anyone interfering in their country (Iraq), certainly not by attacking another nation inside of Iraq.\u201d<\/p>\n
The second Iraqi security source said: \u201cCommunications intercepted by the Americans showed some militia groups redeployed to take up suspicious positions, which the Americans considered provocations.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the Iraqis were told that any threat from the groups \u201cwould be dealt with directly by the Americans with force.\u201d<\/p>\n
The U.S. announced a carrier strike group would head to the region in response to unspecified “troubling and escalatory indications and warnings.”<\/p>\n
The move was reportedly prompted in part by intelligence that the Iranian regime gave permission to some of its proxy forces to attack U.S. military assets and personnel in the region.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Amir Taghati U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s surprise visit to Baghdad this month came after American intelligence showed Iran-backed Shi’ite militias positioning rockets near bases housing U.S. forces, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":53141,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[178],"class_list":{"0":"post-26207","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-terrorism-a-fundamentalism","8":"tag-save"},"yoast_head":"\n