Islamabad, June 24: US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has arrived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Monday to consult with its regional allies amidst escalated tensions with Iran after United States President Donald Trump pulled back military strikes order to retaliate for Tehran’s downing of an unmanned American spy drone.
According to Reuters news reports, Pompeo, who is expected to proceed his visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has told reporters the US seeks to hold dialogues with Iran even as Washington planned to impose higher economic sanctions against it.
“We’ll be talking with (Saudi Arabia and the UAE) about how to make sure that we are all strategically aligned, and how we can build out a global coalition, a coalition … that understands this challenge,” Pompeo said.
Relations between Washington and Tehran have been soared since Trump withdrew America from a landmark 2015 international nuclear deal that aimed to curb the Iranian nuclear programme in return of sanctions relief.
Iran has on Saturday said it would firmly retaliate to any United States threats against the nation, as per Tasnim news agency reports, in the midst of heightening tension between the two nations over the row of shooting down of an American spy drone by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Hozmurgan province. Tehran has pledged to defend its borders.
Iran has called the US’ unmanned plane “provocative”, as well as, “very dangerous” on Thursday as it tried to justify the downing of an American spy drone by IRGC, which the Pentagon has described as an “unprovoked attack” in the international airspace.
Also read: