Unexpected visit for the US Secretary of Defense to Baghdad

Shafaq News/ as part of his Middle Eastern tour, the US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, arrived on Tuesday in Iraq to discuss security issues, including Iran's file.

A government source told Shafaq News Agency that Austin would meet Prime Minister Muhammad S. al-Sudani and then head to Erbil to talk with Kurdish readers.

The visit "to reaffirm the U.S.-Iraq strategic partnership as we move toward a more secure, stable, and sovereign Iraq." Austin said on Twitter.

Austin started his tour by visiting Jordan.

According to Reuters, the three-country Mideast visit aims to reassure key allies of American commitment to the region despite Washington's recent focus on Russia and China but plans frank messages for leaders of Israel and Egypt.