Demonstrators rally against the Trump administration's new ban against travelers from six Muslim-majority nations, outside of the White House. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iraq was dropped from President Donald Trump’s revised travel ban because of both the steps it is taking to better vet potential travelers and its cooperation in the fight to destroy Islamic State, the U.S. State Department said on Tuesday.

“I think both,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner said when asked at a daily news briefing which of those two factors played a role in Iraq’s removal from the list in President Donald Trump’s executive order issued this week.