TIL Desk/World/Tel Aviv/ Washington’s new chief diplomat lashed out at Iran on Sunday as he met Saudi leaders and landed in Israel to rally opposition to Tehran and brief US allies on President Donald Trump’s threat to quit the Iran nuclear deal.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who set off on his first diplomatic trip within hours of being sworn in, met on Sunday with Saudi King Salman in Riyadh, after dinner on Saturday with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Pompeo flew on to Tel Aviv to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu then head to neighbouring Jordan, wrapping up a weekend of talks with some of Iran’s most fervent foes in the region.
After the meetings in Riyadh, he accused Iran of destabilising the Middle East, including through its support for Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad and for Shiite rebels in Yemen.
“(Iran) supports proxy militias and terrorist groups. It is an arms dealer to the Huthi rebels in Yemen and Iran conducts cyber-hacking campaigns. And it supports the murderous Assad regime,” Pompeo said at a joint press conference with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir.
