State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said on Friday US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had placed the US consulate in Basra on “ordered departure,” temporarily relocating the US diplomatic personnel in the Arab country, Reuters reported.
Pompeo said the decision had been made to protect American diplomats against the violence, which he blames on Iran. He claimed Iran was trying to use the potential risk to US staff there as a form of leverage on the administration of Donald Trump and his anti-Iran policies.
“Given the increasing and specific threats and incitement to attack our personnel and facilities in Iraq, I have directed that an appropriate temporary relocation of diplomatic personnel in Iraq take place,” Pompeo said on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
The developments come a few weeks after a group of attackers set fire to the Iranian consulate in Basra. Later, a number of rockets were also fired at the American consulate, which is located near the city’s airport.
The attacks followed several weeks of unrest in Basra, triggered by the residents’ anger over poor electricity supplies and impure water, which made thousands of people ill.
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