WASHINGTON, January 10. /TASS/. US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo has held a telephone conversation with Iraq's Prime Minister Adil Abdel-Mahdi on Thursday, Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said in a statemenet.

"Secretary Pompeo reiterated the United States' condemnation of the Iranian regime's January 7 launch of ballistic missiles into two sites in Iraq that host Iraqi, American and Coalition forces working together to defeat ISIS [Islamic State terrorist organization banned in Russia]," Ortagus said. "The Secretary underscored that, as President Trump has said, the United States will do whatever it takes to protect the American and Iraqi people and defend our collective interests," he added.

The situation in the Middle East escalated on January 3, when the United States delivered air strikes at the area near the Baghdad airport, killing commander of Iran's Quds Force Major General Qasem Soleimani. In response, Tehran delivered air strikes at two facilities in Iraq used by US forces — Ayn al Asad air base and airport in Erbil.