On Friday, Pompeo ordered a “temporary relocation” of diplomats and the closure of the consulate in the southern Iraqi city, citing “increasing and specific threats” to their safety.

Pompeo blamed the government of Iran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force, and “militias facilitated by and under the control and direction of” Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani for “repeated incidents of indirect fire” and threats to the US consulate in Basra and the embassy in Baghdad over the past 24 hours.

The US will hold Iran “directly responsible” for any harm to Americans or US facilities in Iraq and elsewhere, “whether perpetrated by Iranian forces directly or by associated proxy militias,”  Pompeo said in a statement. “I have made clear that Iran should understand that the US will respond promptly and appropriately to any such attacks.”

Pompeo has had Iran on his mind all week, promoting a State Department report calling Iran an “outlaw regime” and accusing Tehran of “destructive behavior at home and abroad.” He also spoke at an event on Tuesday hosted by United Against Nuclear Iran, an advocacy group funded mainly by tycoon Sheldon Adelson.

The updated State Department travel advisory for Iraq now says “Do not travel… due to terrorism and armed conflict.”

DETAILS TO FOLLOW