Mike Pompeo looks to build coalition amid tensions with Iran

World News | Published:

The US secretary of state visited Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi and will also travel to India, Japan and South Korea.

Persian Gulf Tensions Pompeo

US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has held talks with the Saudi king and crown prince about countering the military threat from Iran by building a broad, global coalition that includes Asian and European countries.


With tensions running high in the region after Iran shot down a US surveillance drone on June 20 and Mr Trump said he aborted a retaliatory strike, Iran’s naval commander warned that his forces will not hesitate to down more US drones that violate its airspace.

The US has been building up its military presence in the Persian Gulf.

The US announced additional sanctions Monday on Iran aimed at pressuring the Iranian leadership into talks.

The sanctions, re-imposed after Mr Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal, have crippled the Iranian economy and pushed up the cost of living.

Iran has decried US sanctions, which essentially bar it from selling its oil internationally, as “economic terrorism”.



Persian Gulf Tensions Pompeo
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo exits the plane at sunset as he arrives in Abu Dhabi (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)




Mr Trump pulled the US out of the deal last year.

Germany, Britain and France have sent envoys to Tehran recently, signalling they remain committed to diplomacy and dialogue.

They cautioned against moves that can lead to conflict between the US and Iran.

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Iranian merchants conduct their business at a carpet market of the old main bazaar in Tehran, Iran (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Berlin appears cool toward US talk of a global coalition against Iran as it tries to salvage the nuclear deal.

German media have drawn parallels between Mr Pompeo’s talk of a coalition and President George W. Bush’s “coalition of the willing” against Iraq in 2003, which Germany and France opposed.

German foreign ministry spokesman Christofer Burger said his country had “taken note via the media” of Mr Pompeo’s comments and that Germany’s “top aim is and remains a de-escalation of the serious situation”.

On Monday, Mr Trump tweeted that China and Japan depend on the security of the Persian Gulf waterways for the bulk of their oil imports, and he asked why the US is protecting the shipping lanes for other countries “for zero compensation”.


He said the US doesn’t “even need to be there” because it produces much of its own energy needs.





An estimated 18 million to 20 million barrels of oil, much of it crude, pass through the strait every day.

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This map provided by the US department of defence shows the site where they say a US Navy RQ-4 drone was shot down (AP)

The US Navy, which has its 5th Fleet based in Bahrain to protect the strait, escorted oil tankers to ensure American energy supplies in the 1980s when Iran and Iraq were targeting each other’s exports, but the US is no longer as reliant on Arabian producers.


After his meetings in Saudi Arabia with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Mr Pompeo tweeted that he had a “productive meeting” with the monarch and discussed “heightened tensions in the region and the need to promote maritime security” in the Strait of Hormuz.

Mr Pompeo then travelled to neighbouring Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, another close US ally.

The regional stops may be aimed at reassuring Washington’s Sunni Gulf Arab allies that the White House remains committed to keeping pressure on Shiite Iran following Mr Trump’s decision against retaliation, which likely raised questions about US willingness to use force against the Islamic Republic.

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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

On a visit to Israel on Sunday, US National Security Adviser John Bolton, also considered a US hard-liner, said Iran should not “mistake US prudence and discretion for weakness”.

Iran’s naval commander, Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi, declared that Tehran is capable of shooting down other American spy drones that violate its airspace, saying “the crushing response can always be repeated.”

He spoke during a meeting of defence officials in Iran.


Iran has said it is not interested in a dialogue with Mr Trump.

Saudi Arabia and the US accused Iran of being behind attacks on tankers near the Persian Gulf in recent weeks, while the UAE has been urging diplomacy to avert a wider conflict.



Drones were also used against a Saudi oil pipeline last month.



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