In a phone conversation between US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the American official thanked the UAE for its support “to counter Iran’s malign behaviour” and the two leaders agreed that Washington’s response to recent attacks on forces in Iraq was “justified”.
The US carried out air strikes in Iraq and Syria on Sunday following an attack on Friday by Iran-backed militia, which resulted in the death of a US civilian contractor.
The American civilian was killed when rockets hit an Iraqi military base in the northern city of Kirkuk on Friday. The attack was reported to be carried out by Kataib Hezbollah (Brigades of the Party of God) an Iraqi militant group which allegedly receives financial and military support from Iran.
The US attacks were condemned by Iraq’s prime minister as a “violation of Iraqi sovereignty”, while Iran said the strikes were a “clear example of terrorism”, according to a report by the BBC.
In a statement issued by State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus on Monday, following the phone call between Secretary Pompeo and the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince, both leaders “expressed their deep concerns regarding the Kata’ib Hizbollah attacks on Coalition Forces in Iraq”.
“The Secretary and the Crown Prince agreed that the U.S. actions taken in response to protect coalition interests were defensive, proportionate, and justified. The Secretary thanked the Crown Prince for the UAE’s support and engagement across many regional challenges and agreed to continue to work together to counter Iran’s malign behaviour,” the statement added.
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