May 9, 2019 - World

Iran tension: Pompeo cancels Greenland visit to return to U.S.

Rebecca Falconer

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo leaves 10 Downing Street in London, U.K. — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Photo: Wiktor Szymanowicz / Barcroft Media via Getty Images

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday canceled a scheduled visit to Greenland to return to Washington, D.C., amid heightened tension over Iran, AP first reported.

Why it matters: Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday, on the 1st anniversary of President Trump’s withdrawing the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal, he would suspend key nuclear deal commitments and would increase uranium enrichment if new terms weren't reached within 60 days. Hours later, Trump announced sanctions on Iranian metal industries.

The big picture: Pompeo canceled a planned visit to Germany Tuesday to make an unscheduled trip to Baghdad "to talk with the Iraqi leadership, based on some very specific threats we had about Iranian activity," he told Sky News in the U.K. The State Department said Pompeo would press on with a restoration of a permanent U.S. diplomatic presence in Greenland, according to AP.

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Iran tension: Pompeo cancels Greenland visit to return to U.S.

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