Washington (CNN) The State Department announced Friday that it has ordered all non-essential personnel leave the US consulate in Basra, Iraq. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo cited threats from Iran in a statement and a senior US official told CNN that the decision to place the facility on "ordered departure" was prompted by "security threats from Iran." the State Department said in a statement. The State Department also updated its travel advisory for Iraq Friday to note the order. "Threats to our personnel and facilities in Iraq from the Government of Iran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force, and from militias facilitated by and under the control and direction of the Quds Force leader Qasem Soleimani have increased over the past several weeks," Pompeo said in a statement.

Source: CNN September 28, 2018 21:22 UTC