Back to the Real Salt Lake Newsfeed

Sen. Mitt Romney discusses trip to Iraq, Israel and Jordan, where ‘things are more complicated than you might imagine.’

Washington • Returning from a fact-finding mission to the Middle East, Sen. Mitt Romney said Tuesday that the region still faces extraordinary and difficult problems and the United States must keep investing in diplomacy to help bring peace to what remains a tinder box.

The Utah Republican, who visited Israel, Jordan, Iraq and the Palestinian-controlled city of Ramallah, said each place he touched down faces different but tough issues in a region where tensions remain high.

In Iraq, Romney toured Baghdad and spoke to top officials, including Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi, and said he was overwhelmed with the problems the war-torn country is trying to solve.