WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo departed for Saudi ArabiaTuesday to discuss possible retaliation after Washington said it had proofthat attacks on Saudi oil installations originated in Iran.
Vice President Mike Pence announced that Pompeo was on his way to thekingdom to “discuss our response.”
“As the president said, we don´t want war with anybody but the UnitedStates is prepared,” Pence said in a speech in Washington.
“We´re locked and loaded and we´re ready to defend our interests and alliesin the region, make no mistake about it,” he said, echoing President DonaldTrump´s words on Monday.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that the Trumpadministration has concluded that last weekend´s attack involved cruisemissiles from Iran and that evidence would be presented at the UN GeneralAssembly next week.
The apparent hardening of the US position came as Iran´s supreme leaderruled out negotiations with Washington “at any level.”
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This appeared to nix remaining hopes for a dramatic meeting between Trumpand Iranian President Hassan Rouhani at the United Nations next week.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One over California, Trump said he toohad cooled on what had always seemed to be a diplomatic longshot.
“I never rule anything out, but I prefer not meeting him,” Trump said.-APP/AFP
