Pompeo reiterated in the telephone call with Abdul Mahdi that the US supported a strong, sovereign, and prosperous Iraq, according to a statement by a US State Department’s spokesperson on Monday, April 22.

He also underlined his support for Iraq “forging closer ties to neighboring Arab states.”

On March 20, the US granted Iraq a 90-day sanctions waiver that will allow the country to continue to import natural gas from Iran. Iraq relies heavily on Iranian gas to fuel its power plants.

Pompeo also emphasized during the phone call the US' continued commitment to working with the central government and Iraqi security forces to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS, according to the statement.

The telephone call with Abdul Mahdi came after US announced that it would end of waivers to the eight countries that were allowed to buy Iranian oil without being subject to sanctions.

Pompeo on Monday reiterated that Washington’s goal was to bring down exports of Iranian oil to zero and added the United States had no plans to give any grace period beyond May 1.

“Today I am announcing that we will no longer grant any exemptions,” Pompeo said in a briefing. “We are going to zero. We’re going to zero across the board.”

Reporter’s code: 50101