Pompeo to visit Saudi, UAE this week to discuss attacks, Iran

US secretary of state Mike Pompeo will visit Saudi Arabia and the UAE this week to discuss the recent Aramco attacks and ways to “counter Iranian aggression” in the region, officials announced.

Pompeo will arrive in Jeddah on Wednesday, September 18, where he will meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

They will “discuss the recent attack on the kingdom’s oil facilities and coordinate efforts to counter Iranian aggression in the region,” the US State Department said in a statement.

He will then travel to Abu Dhabi to meet with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss “regional and bilateral issues”, the statement added.

US officials have said they believe Iran was behind the attacks in Saudi.

Iran launched an “unprecedented attack on the world’s energy supply,” Pompeo had earlier said on Twitter.

We call on all nations to publicly and unequivocally condemn Iran’s attacks. The United States will work with our partners and allies to ensure that energy markets remain well supplied and Iran is held accountable for its aggression

— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) September 14, 2019

However, Iran has denied involvement.

The attack on two of Saudi Arabia’s largest crude oil production plants on September 14, which suspended 5.7 million barrels per day of production, was the biggest sudden disruption ever witnessed by the oil market.