A spokesman for the International Coalition in Iraq and Syria that the level of threat posed by the militias loyal to Iran for Western forces did not escalate, which appears to be contrary to what was announced by the administration of President Donald Trump.
"The threat posed by the pro-Iranian forces in Iraq and Syria has not escalated," British General Chris Gekka, who spoke to Pentagon officials from Baghdad via closed circuit, said.
"We have not seen any change in terms of circumstances or in terms of the spread of popular mobilization," he said, referring to Iraqi forces fighting the organization of the Islamic state and dominated by Shiite militias.
Gekka was repeatedly asked about the apparent contradiction between what the administration's speech says about "alarming" threats and "clear indications" of Iran's willingness to launch attacks on American interests in the region. "What I am saying is that we are watching threats with a lot of attention, "However.
"Are I worried about the level of danger? No, not really, we are taking a series of measures of protection ... and we consider that they fully meet the purpose."
General Gekka was keen to clarify that the mission of the international coalition in Iraq and Syria was to fight the Islamic state, not the Iranian regime.
"Our mission is to overcome the organization of the Islamic state, Iran is not included in the orders that I received nor in the instructions or in any administrative document," he said.
Real alarm
"We are here at the invitation of the Iraqi government to defeat the organization of the Islamic state and not to carry out any mission related to Iran," he said, adding: "I stress this because I think it is very important at this stage."
The British general refused to specify the level of alert of the coalition forces in Syria and Iraq, stressing that "this may affect the protection of troops."
Meanwhile, US Central Command spokesman Bill Urban said Gika's comments "run counter to credible and specific threats from the US intelligence and its allies regarding the Iranian-backed forces in the region."
The spokesman pointed out that the levels of warning in fact have increased because of the Iranian threat.
"The US Central Command, in coordination with the solid torque process, has raised the alert level for all elements attached to the solid torque process in Iraq and Syria," he said in a statement.
"As a result, the process of solid resolve is at a high level of readiness, as we continue to monitor potential and imminent threats to US forces in Iraq closely."