Pompeo Warns Iran About Our Redline (Revelation 6:6)

Pompeo Warns Iran Over Rocket Attacks at Iraqi Bases

U.S. says ‘decisive’ response will follow if rocket fire injures U.S. or allied service members

Michael R. GordonDec. 13, 2019 5:49 pm ET

WASHINGTON—Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran for a spate of rocket attacks against Iraqi bases where American troops are located and warned the Trump administration would respond forcefully if U.S. or allied forces were injured or killed.

Any attacks by Iran or its proxies “that harm Americans, our allies or our interests will be answered with a decisive U.S. response,” Mr. Pompeo added.

A spokesman for Iran’s mission to the U.N. didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Iran has long been accused by U.S. officials of arming and funding Shiite militias in Iraq. During the U.S. occupation of Iraq, Iranian-backed militias killed hundreds of U.S. troops, according to U.S. intelligence reports.

During the military campaign against Islamic State, however, U.S. forces and Iranian-backed forces in Iraq focused on fighting the terrorist group. That led to an informal truce as each side refrained from attacking the other.

In recent weeks, a spate of rocket firings suggests the truce might be breaking down.

The bases that have come under fire are controlled and defended by Iraq’s security forces. But also present are U.S. and other international troops who have been training Iraqi forces and helping with the fight against Islamic State remnants.

Mr. Pompeo singled out two rocket attacks in his statement. They were a Dec. 9 attack against an Iraqi military compound at the Baghdad airport that wounded at least five members of Iraq’s Counterterrorism Service, an elite unit that was established and trained by the U.S. military, and another rocket attack two days later on the airport.

No groups have claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Those attacks come as Iran has moved drones and short-range missiles into Iraq, a development reported last year by Reuters and The Wall Street Journal.

Write to Michael R. Gordon at michael.gordon@wsj.com