Search form

You are here

  • Home
  • King Salman meets Pompeo amid US-Iran tensions


King Salman meets Pompeo amid US-Iran tensions

1 / 4
King Salman welcomes US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. (SPA)
2 / 4
King Salman welcomes US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. (SPA)
3 / 4
United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, left, is welcomed by Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Ibrahim Al-Assaf at King Abdulaziz International Airport on Monday, June 24, 2019. (AFP)
4 / 4
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to the media at Andrews Air Force Base on June 23, 2019 before boarding a plane headed to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (AFP)
Updated 24 June 2019
AP
Follow

King Salman meets Pompeo amid US-Iran tensions

  • Mike Pompeo: US wants to build a global coalition against Iran
  • But is prepared to negotiate with Iran, without preconditions, in a bid to ease tensions
Updated 24 June 2019
AP

DUBAI: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held talks Monday 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.
Pompeo is likely to face a tough sell in Europe and Asia, particularly from those nations still committed to the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran that President Donald Trump repudiated last year.
With tensions running high in the region after Iran shot down a US surveillance drone on June 20 and Trump said he aborted a retaliatory strike, Iran’s naval commander warned that his forces won’t hesitate to down more US drones that violate its airspace. The US has been building up its military presence in the Arabian Gulf.
The US announced additional sanctions Monday on Iran aimed at pressuring the Iranian leadership into talks. The sanctions, re-imposed after 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.”

Pompeo, considered a hard-liner in Washington, referred to Iran as “the world’s largest state sponsor of terror” before he embarked on the hastily arranged Middle East stops on his way to India, Japan and South Korea.
He said he’d be speaking with leaders in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates “about how to make sure that we are all strategically aligned, and how we can build out a global coalition ... not only throughout the Gulf states, but in Asia and in Europe” that is prepared to push back against Iran.
But Germany, France and Britain, as well as Russia and China, remain part of the nuclear accord that lifted sanctions on Iran in exchange for set limits on its uranium enrichment levels. Trump pulled the US out of the deal last year.
Germany, Britain and France have sent envoys to Tehran recently, signaling they remain committed to diplomacy and dialogue. They cautioned against moves that can lead to conflict between the US and Iran.
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 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 Pompeo’s comments and that Germany’s “top aim is and remains a de-escalation of the serious situation.”
On Monday, Trump tweeted that China and Japan depend on the security of the Arabian 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.”

“All of these countries should be protecting their own ships on what has always been a dangerous journey.” He said the US doesn’t “even need to be there” because it produces much of its own energy needs.
Brian Hook, the US special envoy for Iran, said one option could be to “enhance” an existing multinational maritime force of about 30 countries that currently fights drug and arms smuggling in the region.
Alternatively, he said allied nations with commercial interests in the oil-rich region could launch an all-new maritime security initiative.
Another option could be military ships patrolling the Gulf waters and equipped with surveillance equipment to keep watch on Iran.
The narrow Strait of Hormuz, which lies between Iran and Oman and opens to the Arabian Gulf, is paramount for Asian oil importers. An estimated 18 million to 20 million barrels of oil — much of it crude — pass through the strait every day.
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.
Today, any conflict that threatens tankers would badly disrupt crude supplies for energy-hungry countries like China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Indonesia, which are among the top five importers of Arabian oil.
After his meetings in Saudi Arabia with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, 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.

Pompeo then traveled to neighboring Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, another close US ally.
The US Mission in the UAE said that Pompeo would discuss “building a global coalition to counter the world’s largest state sponsor of terror” during his visit to Abu Dhabi.
The regional stops may be aimed at reassuring Washington’s Gulf Arab allies that the White House remains committed to keeping pressure on Iran following Trump’s decision against retaliation, which likely raised questions about US willingness to use force against the Islamic Republic. 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 Adm. 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 defense officials in Iran.
Trump has wavered between bellicose language and actions toward Iran and a more accommodating tone, including an offer for negotiations. Iran has said it is not interested in a dialogue with Trump.
Saudi Arabia and the US accused Iran of being behind attacks on tankers near the Arabian Gulf in recent weeks, while the UAE has been urging diplomacy to avert a wider conflict.
On the eve of Pompeo’s visit to the Kingdom, Yemen’s Iranian-allied Houthi militia attacked a Saudi airport near the Saudi-Yemen border, killing a Syrian resident and wounding 21 other civilians, the Saudi military said.
The Houthi militia claimed they used bomb-laden drones to attack the Abha airport, the second in less than two weeks. Drones were also used against a Saudi oil pipeline last month.
In a statement, Pompeo condemned the Abha airport attack and said the war in Yemen is not an isolated conflict. He accused Iran of funneling cash, weapons, and armed support to the Houthis, which Iran denies.

Topics: Iran tensions Iran US

Related

Middle-East
Iran says downing of US drone was a ‘firm response,’ can be repeated
Middle-East
US cyberattacks on Iranian targets not successful: Iran minister

Sudan’s RSF falters amid blunders, supply shortfalls

Updated 5 sec ago
Follow

Sudan’s RSF falters amid blunders, supply shortfalls

Updated 5 sec ago
After nearly two years of fighting, the RSF’s supplies have dwindled and its recruitment efforts have faltered
Many of its members lack formal military training, making them increasingly vulnerable in prolonged combat, Hudson said

PORT SUDAN: Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces are losing ground to the army due to strategic blunders, internal rifts and dwindling supplies, analysts say.
The regular army has made major gains, seeming to reverse the tide of a nearly two-year war that has killed tens of thousands of people and uprooted more than 12 million.
Last month, the army surged through central Sudan, reclaiming the Al-Jazira state capital of Wad Madani before setting its sights on Khartoum.
Within two weeks, it shattered RSF sieges on key Khartoum military bases, including the General Command headquarters, and overran the Al-Jaili oil refinery, the country’s biggest, just north of the capital.
Cameron Hudson, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Africa program, said while “the RSF outperformed at the start of the war because it was more prepared,” its weaknesses were now showing.
After nearly two years of fighting, the RSF’s supplies have dwindled and its recruitment efforts have faltered.
Many of its members lack formal military training, making them increasingly vulnerable in prolonged combat, Hudson said.
The army, which “was caught off guard” at the start of the war, has “had time to rebuild, recruit and rearm,” he added.
According to a former general in the Sudanese military, the army has broadened its fighter base, mobilizing volunteers, allied militias and other branches of the security apparatus.
One “critical” addition to the army’s operations has been reinstating the Special Operations Forces, part of state intelligence, the former general told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The special forces, who are trained in urban warfare according to the former general, have helped reverse what Rift Valley Institute fellow Eric Reeves called the army’s “cowardly willingness to engage only in ‘stand-off tactics’, namely artillery and aircraft strikes,” particularly in the capital.
The RSF meanwhile has overstretched its resources and exposed vulnerabilities in its military strategy, analysts say.
More than 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) separate RSF strongholds in Darfur — the vast western region nearly entirely under their control — from Khartoum, the fiercely contested metropolis.
Darfur’s strong tribal networks have supplied troops to the RSF, while crucial support from abroad has funnelled through the region’s borders with Chad and Libya, experts and the UN have said.
But attempting to expand their control into central and eastern Sudan, the paramilitaries have “stretched themselves too thin,” said Reeves, a veteran Darfur expert.
The long road — increasingly contested by the army in areas such as North Kordofan — has made resupply missions “both difficult and dangerous,” said Hamid Khalafallah, a Britain-based Sudanese researcher.
“It has become very costly for the RSF to get supplies from Darfur to the center and east,” he told AFP.
Beyond logistics, analysts say internal rifts have added to the RSF’s troubles.
“Their ability to command their forces in a coherent and organized way across the country has been severely tested,” said Magnus Taylor, deputy director of the Horn of Africa project at International Crisis Group.
In Wad Madani, the high-profile defection of an RSF commander in late 2024 has weakened the group’s hold.
The commander, Abu Aqla Kaykal — widely accused of atrocities against civilians — has since led troops on behalf of the army, according to a source in his Sudan Shield Forces militia.
Analysts say the RSF’s setbacks do not necessarily signal their defeat or an imminent end to the fighting.
They say the paramilitary force has changed its strategy, targeting civilian infrastructure in central Sudan while consolidating its hold on Darfur.
“It seems the RSF’s current strategy is to create chaos,” Hudson said.
“It is not targeting military sites, but civilians... to punish the people and the state,” he added.
RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo has remained defiant, vowing again on Friday to “expel” the army from Khartoum.
In recent weeks, the RSF has struck power plants, the only functioning hospital in the North Darfur state capital of El-Fasher and a market in Omdurman, Khartoum’s twin city.
But the prize most critical to the RSF’s continued war effort is 1,000 kilometers west of Khartoum: El-Fasher, the only major city in Darfur out of its control.
Since May, the RSF has laid siege to the city as its fighters have been repeatedly repelled by the military and its allied militias.
Should the paramilitaries succeed in taking El-Fasher, “then the de facto bifurcation of the country will become much more formalized,” said Hudson.
And the RSF would put “itself in a more advantageous negotiating position, as it controls one third of the country,” he added.

Lebanese army prevents Israeli forces from entering Kfar Hamam

Updated 19 min 4 sec ago
NAJIA HOUSSARI
Follow

Lebanese army prevents Israeli forces from entering Kfar Hamam

  • Israeli convoy had crossed the border line at Shebaa Farms, and advanced toward Kfarshouba in the eastern sector of southern Lebanon
  • Convoy headed toward the surroundings of Kfar Hamam, where the Lebanese army is deployed - intense gunfire was heard, and the Israeli force withdrew two hours later
Updated 19 min 4 sec ago
NAJIA HOUSSARI

BEIRUT: The Lebanese army on Tuesday blocked the main road connecting Kfar Hamam and Rashaya Al-Foukhar to prevent an Israeli force with six vehicles from advancing toward the area.

The Israeli convoy had crossed the border line at Shebaa Farms, and advanced toward Kfarshouba in the eastern sector of southern Lebanon.

It then headed toward the surroundings of Kfar Hamam, where the Lebanese army is deployed. Intense gunfire was heard, and the Israeli force withdrew two hours later.

The Lebanese response to the incursion was a step up in tactics against Israeli forces stationed in the border area.

The Israeli presence in the border region has been extended until Feb. 18 upon US approval, although the ceasefire agreement had initially stipulated that Israeli forces should completely withdraw from southern Lebanon within a 60-day period that ended on Jan. 27.

The Lebanese army has avoided entering any village subject to Israeli incursions, instead waiting for notification of their withdrawal from UN peacekeeping forces.

A ceasefire agreement that went into force on Nov. 27 last year put an end to the Israel-Hezbollah war and saw the Lebanese army redeployed in the border area.

Lebanese Army Command said on Tuesday morning: “Military troops were redeployed in Taybeh-Marjayoun in the eastern sector, as well as other regions in south of Litani, following the Israeli withdrawal.”

It added that the deployment was carried out “in cooperation with the Quintet Committee overseeing the implementation mechanism of the ceasefire agreement.”

It also repeated its call for citizens “to adhere to the directives issued in its official statements, and abide by the instructions of the military units deployed in the southern regions, to safeguard their lives and safety.”

Taybeh municipality called on the town’s residents “to cooperate with the army members and abide by their directives, until they make sure that the town is safe, with no Israeli presence.”

In another development, Lebanese Army Intelligence seized a truck loaded with weapons and ammunition left over from a warehouse targeted by Israel in the Al-Wardaniyah area in Iqlim Al-Kharroub.

A security source reported: “The truck driver and his companion noticed an Israeli military drone pursuing them from the air, prompting them to disembark from the truck and flee.

“The truck contained explosives, detonators and rocket shells, and its cargo was concealed under a large cover that obscured the contents from view.”

Meanwhile, Israeli forces across the border area continued demolishing homes and facilities that they claim belong to Hezbollah members.

On Tuesday, Israeli troops destroyed a wastewater treatment plant in the Marjeyoun plain toward Kfar Kila.

An Israeli drone released two sonic weapons in the airspace over the town of Al-Jabin. Additionally, Israeli forces destroyed trees and agricultural land, and burned several homes in the town of Houla.

Israeli forces once again violated the ceasefire agreement by conducting mock airstrikes in the skies over the northern Litani River, specifically above the regions of Nabatieh and the Western Bekaa, at a medium altitude.

The Ministry of Agriculture described the bulldozing of agricultural lands in Houla as a “painful aggression, as the bulldozing included olive groves and fruit trees, in addition to burning some houses in the town.”

The ministry said in a statement: “The Israeli enemy deliberately bulldozed the surroundings of the Israeli Al-Abbad site adjacent to the border, which contains large numbers of oak and pine trees, which causes the destruction of the environment and natural resources that are the source of livelihood for farmers.”

It is “working with the relevant authorities to follow up on the damage caused to the agricultural field in this area. We are also coordinating with international bodies to document these attacks and apply pressure for compensation to the affected farmers.”

The ministry also called on the international community “to take urgent measures to protect Lebanon’s environment and natural resources.

“We urge all relevant authorities to intensify their efforts to help farmers rebuild after the destruction caused by the Israeli aggression, especially under these critical circumstances.”

On Tuesday, Hezbollah released a statement condemning the “unjust decision” by Australia to impose sanctions on its secretary-general, Naim Qassem.

The party said: “This decision has no legal or moral basis; it is a clear bias in favor of the Zionist entity and a cover-up of its aggression and terrorism. The decision will not affect the morale of the loyal resistance supporters in Lebanon or Hezbollah’s position.”

Hezbollah also said that Feb. 23 will mark the day of the popular funerals for former secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah and his successor, Hashem Safieddine, who were both killed in Israeli raids five months ago in the southern suburb of Beirut.

Nasrallah will be buried in a field located along the old road connecting Beirut to the airport, while Safieddine will be laid to rest in his hometown of Deir Kanoun in the Sour district.

The field where Nasrallah will be buried contains a large building constructed by American Insurance in the early 1970s.

Overlooking the western lane of the old airport road, the site spans more than 20,000 sq. meters.

The building was eventually purchased by a Shiite contractor and financier close to Hezbollah for $40 million.

Mahmoud Qomati, a member of Hezbollah’s political council, said on Tuesday that the funeral “will serve as a popular referendum demonstrating adherence to the resistance and commitment to Hezbollah’s principles and Lebanon’s liberation cause.”

He added: “The funeral will be held with the utmost consideration for security and national arrangements. We will be inviting figures from Lebanon and abroad to participate in the event.”

Topics: Lebanon Israel Kfar Hamam Rashaya Al-Foukhar Shebaa Farms

Related

Middle-East
Lebanese army enters Aitaroun unaccompanied by civilians in case of ‘enemy treachery’ 
Special
Middle-East
Lebanese army fully redeployed in western sector villages

Germany’s president arrives in Jordan to meet King Abdullah II

Updated 12 min 36 sec ago
Arab News
Follow

Germany’s president arrives in Jordan to meet King Abdullah II

  • Frank-Walter Steinmeier has served as president of Germany since 2017
  • President’s Middle East tour began in Saudi Arabia
Updated 12 min 36 sec ago
Arab News

LONDON: Germany’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier arrived in Jordan on Tuesday as part of a tour of the Middle East that began in Saudi Arabia this week.

Steinmeier, who has served as president of Germany since 2017, is set to meet the King of Jordan Abdullah II in Amman, the Jordan News Agency reported.

Steinmeier was received at Marka International Airport by senior Jordanian officials, the Jordanian Ambassador to Berlin Fayez Khouri, and the German Ambassador to Amman Bertram von Moltke.

Steinmeier met Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh on Monday.

The parties held official talks after the crown prince had hosted a reception ceremony in honor of the president.

Topics: Germany Jordan

Related

video
Saudi Arabia
Saudi crown prince receives Germany’s president in Riyadh
World
Germany’s far-right ‘firewall’ crumbles as migration debate flares

Bahraini king receives call from Egyptian president

Updated 21 min 56 sec ago
Arab News
Follow

Bahraini king receives call from Egyptian president

  • King Hamad praised Egypt’s efforts that led to Gaza ceasefire agreement
  • Leaders agreed on the need to hold an international peace conference for the Middle East
Updated 21 min 56 sec ago
Arab News

LONDON: The king of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, received a phone call from the president of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, on Tuesday.

King Hamad praised Egypt’s efforts that resulted in a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, ending more than a year of conflict in the Gaza Strip in January.

The leaders agreed on the need to hold an international peace conference for the Middle East, as proposed by King Hamad during the Arab Summit hosted by Bahrain in September.

During the call, the leaders discussed prospects of cooperation between Manama and Cairo in the economic and investment sectors, the Bahrain News Agency reported.

King Hamad stressed the importance of fully implementing the ceasefire agreement in Gaza and initiating a political process for lasting peace in the region, the BNA added.

El-Sisi said that reconstructing the Gaza Strip after 15 months of Israeli bombardment is vital and highlighted the necessity of a unified Arab stance to support stability in the Middle East.

They also discussed Syria, Lebanon, Libya, and Sudan and the lack of stability in these countries, the BNA added.

Topics: Egypt Bahrain

Related

Middle-East
Egypt’s president El-Sisi congratulates Syria’s new president Sharaa, statement says
Middle-East
Bahraini king, crown prince meet Italian PM in Manama

Some Palestinian prisoners freed in ceasefire arrive in Turkiye

Updated 04 February 2025
Reuters
Follow

Some Palestinian prisoners freed in ceasefire arrive in Turkiye

  • Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the 15 former prisoners had arrived via Egypt
  • “We think it would be beneficial for some regional countries to take a role in this matter,” Fidan said
Updated 04 February 2025
Reuters

CAIRO/ANKARA: Fifteen Palestinian prisoners freed by Israel under the Jan. 19 ceasefire agreement with Hamas arrived in Türkiye on Tuesday after being deported first to Egypt, the Turkish foreign minister and the Hamas prisoners media office said.
Among dozens of such former prisoners, they are the first to be taken in by a third country other than Egypt under the terms of the ceasefire, which bar prisoners convicted by Israel of violent attacks from returning to the Palestinian Territories.
Palestinians view those jailed for fighting Israel as resistance heroes.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the 15 former prisoners had arrived via Egypt, after Ankara responded positively to a request under the ceasefire deal provisions.
“We think it would be beneficial for some regional countries to take a role in this matter... Egypt and Qatar would play a role in that respect,” Fidan said at a joint press conference in Ankara with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty.
The first phase of the ceasefire in Gaza has led to Hamas’ release of 18 hostages and Israel’s release of 583 jailed Palestinians, of whom at least 79 were sent to Egypt.
As well as Türkiye, some may be sent on to Algeria or Qatar, Hamas sources say.
Fidan rejected criticism by what he called “Zionist circles” of Turkiye’s decision to take in the former Palestinian prisoners, saying Ankara was acting to help end “the humanitarian drama in Gaza.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to discuss the situation in Gaza and other regional issues with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday.
The Gaza war started with a Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, on Israel that killed 1,200 people, and saw more than 250 taken as hostages, according to Israeli tallies. The Israeli military campaign has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians and left the enclave in ruins, Gaza authorities say.

Topics: War on Gaza Palestinian prisoners Turkiye Hakan Fidan

Related

Pakistan
Pakistan to host 15 Palestinian prisoners freed under Gaza ceasefire deal — Hamas
Middle-East
Gaza ceasefire sees its smoothest exchange yet of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners

Latest updates

Sudan’s RSF falters amid blunders, supply shortfalls
North Korea troops not in combat in Russia’s Kursk since mid-Jan: Seoul
Ukraine says it hit Russian command post in Kursk region
Spain men’s coach De la Fuente distances himself from Hermoso kiss case at Rubiales trial
Pakistan cuts this year’s Hajj costs, announces $17 million in refunds for last year’s pilgrims

Search form

Print Edition
Read pdf version Subscribe now
© 2025 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.