'Cautious' State Department asks Iran Iraq to avoid 'violence' with a key US ally
Heather Nauert
"We would oppose any violence if that were to take place "  State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert  said in response to reports that this kind of coordination was being considered. "We hope our voices will be heard in a very strong fashion that we oppose violence on any side of this."
 She  was responding to a report that Iran and Iraq plan to seize control of the border crossings around a semi-autonomous region of northern Iraq that is populated by a Kurdish ethnic minority that plays a crucial role in the U.S.-led coalition to defeat the Islamic State. The tensions have arisen because the Kurds voted in support of breaking away from the rest of Iraq to form their own state  despite opposition from Baghdad and the United States.
 Nauert  took a cautious approach to the diplomatic crisis. "The United States does not want to do anything that would inflame tensions  that's why I'm going to be very cautious with my words "  she  said during Thursday's briefing. "We will continue to offer our assistance to facilitate any dialogue if we are asked."
 Nauert  said  she  had not heard of a request for the United States to close its consulate in northern Iraq.
"Our relationship with the Kurds  in our view  will not change "  she  said.
"We would oppose any violence if that were to take place "   [TGT] said in response to reports that this kind of coordination was being considered. "We hope our voices will be heard in a very strong fashion that we oppose violence on any side of this."
  [TGT]   was responding to a report that Iran and Iraq plan to seize control of the border crossings around a semi-autonomous region of northern Iraq that is populated by a Kurdish ethnic minority that plays a crucial role in the U.S.-led coalition to defeat the Islamic State. The tensions have arisen because the Kurds voted in support of breaking away from the rest of Iraq to form their own state  despite opposition from Baghdad and the United States.
  [TGT] took a cautious approach to the diplomatic crisis. "The United States does not want to do anything that would inflame tensions  that's why I'm going to be very cautious with my words "  she  said during Thursday's briefing. "We will continue to offer our assistance to facilitate any dialogue if we are asked."
 Nauert  said  she  had not heard of a request for the United States to close its consulate in northern Iraq.
"Our relationship with the Kurds  in our view  will not change "  she  said.