Pompeo: U.S. committed to countering Iran

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The U.S. decision to withdraw troops from Syria will not jeopardize Washington's efforts to counter threats in the region, which come from Iran and ISIL, U.S. secretary of state Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday.

Pompeo was in Jordan, making his first visit to the Middle East since U.S. President Donald Trump's abrupt announcement to pull the 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria, which caused alarm among U.S. allies in the region and prompted the resignation of the then defense secretary James Mattis.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (2nd L) meets with King Abdullah of Jordan (2nd R) during his visit to Amman, January 8, 2019. /VCG Photo

The U.S. troops in Syria have been fighting against ISIL and also served as a counterweight to the Syrian government, which is backed by Iran and Russia.

Many of Trump's domestic and international critics have said that withdrawing the troops abruptly could expose Washington's Kurdish allies to repression from Turkey, and also allow Iran to solidify its influence in Syria.

But Pompeo said Washington was not stepping down from its efforts to challenge Iran. American policymakers were "redoubling not only our diplomatic but our commercial efforts to put real pressure on Iran," he said.

"There is enormous agreement on the risk that Iran poses to Jordan and other countries in the region," Pompeo added.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) shakes hands with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi during a news conference, January 8, 2019. /VCG Photo

Jordan, which has expressed worries in the past about Iranian influence, particularly near the Jordanian border in southern Syria, said Tehran should refrain from meddling in the affairs of its neighbors Syria and Iraq.

"We all have problems with Iran's expansionist policies in the region," said Ayman Safadi, Jordan's foreign minister.

Source(s): Reuters