Mike Pompeo returns to Middle East to urge action against Iran with 3 different partners
Mike Pompeo returns to Middle East to urge action against Iran with 3 different partners
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is returning to the Middle East to again push for action against Iran, his chief foreign policy foe. But the message of this trip, his second to the region this year, will find three very different audiences, likely with varying degrees of acceptance.
In Israel, Pompeo will embrace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a close ally in the Trump administration’s campaign to push back on Iranian influence. In Kuwait, he will press the Amir and other leaders for unity among Gulf Arab countries against Iran. And in Lebanon, he will urge leaders, including those with close ties to Hezbollah, to “disconnect” from the group and its supporter Iran — a tall order as the group now controls cabinet posts in the country’s government.
The stop in Israel has raised some eyebrows not because of the message but for its proximity to the nation’s upcoming elections. With just three weeks to go, critics say the trip is all but an endorsement of an embattled Netanyahu, facing a tough re-election fight amid possible criminal charges of bribery and fraud.
While Netanyahu has even used sound bites from President Donald Trump in his campaign videos, the State Department has repeatedly pushed back, saying Pompeo’s visit is strictly for the sake of the U.S.-Israeli alliance.
“There’s always an election. We’ve got an election a year away, and they’ve got one that’s less than a month away,” Pompeo said Monday, en route to the region. “I’m going to Israel because of the important relationship we have.”
Still, there are rumors that Pompeo may make an announcement, with opposition figures expressing concern the administration could recognize Israeli sovereignty of the Golan Heights.
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Read More: ABC News
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