Rex Tillerson: Iranian militias must leave Iraq
Rex Tillerson: Iranian militias must leave Iraq
"All foreign fighters need to go home", US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in Riyadh on Sunday as he began a trip to the Middle East.
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US secretary of state Rex Tillerson was in Riyadh on Sunday [Getty]
Iranian "militias" should leave Iraq, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told reporters on Sunday in the Saudi city of Riyadh.
"Certainly Iranian militias that are in Iraq, now that the fighting against [IS] is coming to a close, those militias need to go home," Tillerson said at a press conference in the Saudi capital.
"All foreign fighters need to go home", he added.
The US diplomat is currently in the kingdom where he is holding talks with top Gulf officials.
Tillerson's Gulf visit comes as part of concerted efforts to curb Shia Iran's influence in the region including boosting the clout of Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia in Iraq, where Iran backs Shia militias fighting in the north.
The first meeting of a joint Saudi-Iraqi coordination council was held on Sunday, in which the main aim was to boost cooperation after years of tension between Baghdad and Riyadh.
"We are facing in our region serious challenges in the form of extremism, terrorism as well as attempts to destabilise our countries," Saudi Arabia's King Salman said.
Tillerson's visit also follows President Donald Trump's announcement of an aggressive strategy against Tehran and his refusal to certify the Iran nuclear.
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