Iraq’s parliament on Sunday voted to expel U.S. troops following the death of an Iranian general in an American airstrike, a decision the Trump administration attempted to sway, reports Axios.
Iraq has become embroiled in the conflict between the U.S. and Iran, with Trump last week ordering a drone strike near Baghdad’s international airport where Qassem Soleimani, the leader of Iran's elite paramilitary Quds Force, was staying.
Soleimani was killed Jan. 3.
The Iraqi parliament followed with a vote to expel U.S. troops from Iraq. The country’s prime minister still needs to sign the legislation.
"I think it would be inconvenient for us, but it would be catastrophic for Iraq," a U.S. official familiar with the Trump administration's effort to block the vote told Axios. "It's our concern that Iraq would take a short-term decision that would have catastrophic long-term implications for the country and its security."
"But it's also, what would happen to them financially," the official added, "if they allowed Iran to take advantage of their economy to such an extent that they would fall under the sanctions that are on Iran?
“We don't want to see that. We're trying very hard to work to have that not happen," the official said.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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