FAILED

Trump Officials Tried To Block Iraqi Expulsion Vote: Report

The officials tried to stop the Iraqi parliament from passing a resolution on Sunday calling on the country’s government to expel the U.S. military from Iraq.

The Trump administration reportedly tried to block a vote to expel U.S. troops from Iraq, which the country’s parliament passed on Sunday in response to the killing of Iran’s top general, Axios reports. The vote came as thousands of people gathered in Iran to mourn Major Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. airstrike ordered by President Trump on Friday. “I think it would be inconvenient for us, but it would be catastrophic for Iraq,” a U.S. official told Axios, adding, “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.” Trump administration officials have reportedly warned senior Iraqi officials that the country will face grave consequences if the U.S. withdrew its military, according to Axios sources. State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said that the U.S. is “disappointed by the action taken today in the Iraqi Council of Representatives,” adding, “It is in the shared interests of the United States and Iraq to continue fighting ISIS together.”