U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets with U.S. troops, Iraqi leaders on Iraq visit

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pauses during a news conference with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi at the start of a Middle East tour in Amman, Jordan, January 8, 2019. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool via REUTERS

CAIRO (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Iraq on Wednesday, where he met with American troops and Iraqi leaders to reassure them about a U.S. military withdrawal from Syria and warn that Iran remains a regional security threat.

The visit, which U.S. officials declined to confirm until Pompeo left Iraq, came on the second day of a tour also taking in Jordan, Egypt, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman.

(Reporting by Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Kevin Liffey)