US’ Pompeo skips Greenland trip as Iran tensions soar

WASHINGTON (AA): U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is skipping a planned trip to Greenland, his second such cancellation of a foreign visit this week, the State Department announced Thursday.

Spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said Pompeo would not be able to go to Greenland “due to a need for the Secretary to be in Washington, DC today.”

She did not elaborate, but Pompeo earlier this week canceled a visit to Germany on his four-nation tour of Europe to visit Baghdad amid worsening tensions with Iran.

The U.S. on Wednesday imposed new sanctions on four Iranian metal sectors in the latest component of the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran after sending a carrier strike group and a bomber task force to the region in response to unspecified threats from Iran.

Pompeo described the attacks as “imminent,” but declined to offer details other than saying Iraqi officials were briefed on the matter.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday that Iran would resume high level enrichment of uranium to near weapons-grade levels if Tehran’s interests in the nuclear deal are not protected within 60 days.

The Trump administration has been working to scuttle the 2015 deal world powers, including the U.S., struck with Iran, including reimposing oil sanctions Washington lifted as part of the deal after President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew in May 2018.

The U.S. is also rapidly approaching a Friday deadline imposed by Trump to broker a trade agreement with China or ratchet up tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of Chinese imports — a move Beijing said will be met with reciprocal action.