Pompeo Shrugs Off ‘Acting’ Iraqi Prime Minister’s Call for U.S. Troops to Leave Country Amid Iran Tensions

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was hardly concerned by the possibility that Iraq’s leaders will compel U.S. troops to leave their country amid the brewing situation between the U.S. and Iran.

As Pompeo defended President Donald Trump’s authorization of the airstrike that killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, CBS’s Margaret Brennan noted that Iraq’s top government officials were discussing whether the country would allow foreign militaries to maintain a presence in the nation. The Associated Press has since reported that Iraq’s parliament has passed a resolution demanding the expulsion of the 5,000 U.S. troops currently stationed in the country.

When asked if the U.S. would comply with this, Pompeo wouldn’t say, but insisted that “the Iraqi people, too, are protesting, but not against America.” Brennan noted that the measure was advanced by Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abd al-Mahdi, to whom, Pompeo dismissed as the “acting prime minister of Iraq who resigned because of massive Iranian interference in his own government’s ability to execute sovereignty and independence for Iraq.”

Brennan interjected to note that the Iraqi parliament approved the resolution, but Pompeo continued to speak about how “the United States is prepared to help the Iraqi people get what they deserve and continue our mission.” Pompeo continued to face questions about how he’s handling the situation on a diplomatic level, and Brennan topped it off by asking him “Do you really believe that Iran is going to sit down and negotiate now?”

“Depends how smart they are,” Pompeo answered. “It depends how much they take seriously what President Trump has communicated.”

Watch above, via CBS.