Iraq News Now

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has warned Iraq's leaders that the U.S. plans to close its embassy in Baghdad unless the government stops Shiite militias from targeting diplomatic missions in Iraq, according to Iraqi and U.S. officials.

Pompeo delivered the warning in recent phone calls to Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and to Iraqi President Barham Salih, according to two Iraqi government officials and a Western official with knowledge of the matter.

Pompeo told the Iraqi government that the U.S. would "deal" with Shiite militias if they did not stop launching attacks on diplomatic missions in the country, a senior Iraqi security official told NBC News on the condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to brief the media.

A withdrawal from the U.S. embassy in Baghdad will be seen as a triumph in Iran and by pro-Iranian groups in Iraq, which have long called for the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq.

The number of attacks targeting American interests in Iraq, including the heavily fortified U.S. embassy in Baghdad and U.S. logistics convoys, has increased in recent weeks, according to the Iraqi government.

U.S. officials and regional analysts believe the attacks were carried out by Iran-backed Shiite militias. Iraq has a majority Shiite population. Tehran has denied it is orchestrating the attacks.

After the Americans demanded that the Iraqi government take decisive action to ensure the security of the embassy, Baghdad launched security measures but the response apparently was not enough to satisfy Washington, another Iraqi official said.

"We have to respond. We know that this is serious," the official said.

The Iraqi government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Despite the warnings from Washington, Gen. Kenneth "Frank" McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, praised the work of the Iraqi security forces in safeguarding U.S. interests in a recent interview with NBC News.

Although he said there would always be an element of risk, "the people that really need to protect us are the Iraqis, and the Iraqis have actually done a pretty good job of that," the general told NBC News earlier this month. His comments were not previously published.

"They have been responsive when people have threatened the bases, they have been responsive when people have fired rockets at us, they've gone after them to find them. So that's very much appreciated." McKenzie said.

He added, "They have a responsibility to protect us."

Pompeo's stern message came after Iraqi Prime Minister ­Kadhimi visited Washington last month, with both sides touting the talks as positive.

'A collective duty'

In a meeting on Saturday with Iraq's foreign minister, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the withdrawal of American troops from the region was a "collective duty," according to the semiofficial Tasnim news agency.

Since the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003 and toppled Saddam Hussein's regime, Washington had hoped Iraq would become a staunch U.S. ally, reflected by the vast U.S. embassy that was built during the American occupation.

But Iraq has struggled to balance its relations with the U.S. and its powerful, Shiite-ruled neighbor, Iran, which has retained a heavy influence since Saddam was ousted.