Pompeo says U.S. backs Saudi Arabia's ‘right to defend itself’
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has expressed the United States support toward Saudi Arabia’s “right to defend itself”, saying Iran’s behavior would “not be tolerated”.
The remarks came during a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, according to a statement on his official Twitter account on Thursday.
“Met with #Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman today to discuss the unprecedented attacks against Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure,” Pompeo tweeted. “The U.S. stands with #SaudiArabia and supports its right to defend itself. The Iranian regime’s threatening behavior will not be tolerated.”
According to news reports, the U.S. Secretary condemned the attacks and supported Saudi Arabia’s call for international experts to come to the country to further investigate.
Meanwhile, Prince Mohammed stressed that the attacks on state oil company Saudi Aramco targeted destabilizing the region’s security and damaging the global energy supply and economy, the reports added.
Pompeo’s comments and the meeting with the crown prince, came as tensions in the region soared to new heights following an attack on Saudi Arabia’s largest oil production complex, earlier this week.
Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels had earlier claimed responsibility for the attack.
However, both Washington and Riyadh have directly blamed Tehran. But Tehran has denied involvement and warned it would retaliate against any attack, especially after U.S. President Donald Trump said a variety of options, including war, were available as a response.