Pompeo meets Saudi rulers on Iran crisis

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets with Saudi Arabia’s rulers as he seeks to coordinate with allies over soaring tensions with Iran.

On a day trip scheduled after Iran shot down a US drone, Pompeo flies into the Red Sea city of Jeddah and meets with King Salman at his palace.

“You are a dear friend,” the king tells Pompeo as he shakes hands with the top US diplomat and his aides.

Pompeo later opens talks with the powerful crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. The top US diplomat was due to fly later Monday to the United Arab Emirates.

Both Saudi and Emirati leaders advocate a tough US approach against regional rival Iran, whose downing of the unmanned drone prompted President Donald Trump to order a military strike before changing his mind.

Pompeo, speaking to reporters as he left Washington, calls Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates “two great allies in the challenge that Iran presents.”

“We’ll be talking with them about how to make sure that we are all strategically aligned and how we can build out a global coalition,” Pompeo says.

He says the United States sought a coalition “not only throughout the Gulf states but in Asia and in Europe that understands this challenge and that is prepared to push back against the world’s largest state sponsor of terror.”

— AFP