Clinton warns Iran not to exploit US Iraq pullout

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that the United States would maintain a strong security relationship with Iraq despite the scheduled pullout of all U.S. troops and warned Iran not to try to exploit the situation.“No one should miscalculate Americas resolve and commitment to helping support the Iraqi democracy. We have paid too high a price to give the Iraqis this chance. And I hope that Iran and no one else miscalculates that.”After months of negotiations with officials in Baghdad failed to reach an agreement to keep possibly thousands of US troops in Iraq as trainers, US President Barack Obama announced on Friday he would stick to plans to pull out the remaining force of 40,000 American troops by year’s end.The announcement was a milestone more than 8 1/2 years after the Bush administration led the invasion to topple Saddam Hussein based on warnings of weapons of mass destruction that turned out not to exist. Iran already is at odds with Washington and other Western governments over its nuclear ambitions and Clinton warned Tehran against trying to exert its influence in neighboring Iraq.