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Turkish foreign minister, US secretary of state discuss situation in Iran, Iraq - source

Mevlut Cavusoglu and Mike Pompeo have also discussed bilateral relations

ANKARA, January 4. /TASS/. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have held a phone call on Saturday, a source in the Turkish Foreign Ministry informed TASS.

"Our minister has held talks with US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo. The sides have discussed bilateral relations and the situation around Iran and Iraq," the source stated.

On Friday, the Pentagon confirmed that a missile strike near the Baghdad airport killed the head of the Quds Force Qasem Soleimani. The operation was carried out at the direction of US President Donald Trump, the statement said. According to the Pentagon, the strike was defensive, since it was aimed at protecting US troops in Iraq and other countries. Washington blamed Soleimani for allegedly approving a rally outside the US Embassy in Baghdad earlier this week.

Following the attack, the Supreme National Security Council of Iran vowed to exact "severe revenge" on those involved in Soleimani’s killing, blaming the United States for the attack. In a phone call with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif blasted the attack as an act of terrorism from the side of the US. He pointed out that Tehran would take international measures to hold Washington responsible for the general’s murder.

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