U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has canceled a visit to Greenland to return to Washington amid an escalation of tensions with Iran.

Pompeo had been due to wrap up a trip to Europe on Thursday with a stop in Greenland aimed at promoting the Trump administration�s Arctic policies. Those policies were criticized earlier this week for not containing the words �climate change� when Pompeo attended an Arctic Council meeting in Finland.

The State Department says that Pompeo will still order a restoration of a permanent U.S. diplomatic presence in Greenland.

The Greenland stop was the second Pompeo canceled on what was supposed to be a four-nation tour of Europe. On Tuesday, he abruptly dropped a trip to Germany to fly to Baghdad for meetings with Iraqi leaders.

(AP)