US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday that he had "productive" talks with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud in Jeddah on the need to preserve maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th June, 2019) US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday that he had "productive" talks with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud in Jeddah on the need to preserve maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz."Productive meeting with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud today to discuss heightened tensions in the region and the need to promote maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz," Pompeo said via Twitter. "Freedom of navigation is tantamount."
Pompeo and King Salman agreed on the need to work together with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to "counter the Iranian threat" in the Middle East, State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said in a readout of the meeting.
The top US diplomat is visiting Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for crisis talks with local leaders after regional tensions soared following Iran's downing of a US Navy drone.
Iran last week said it downed a US surveillance drone flying over the coastal Hormozgan province after it violated the country's airspace. US Central Command� said that the drone was shot down while operating over international waters of the Strait of Hormuz.
Following the incident, President Donald Trump said the United States was "cocked and loaded" for retaliatory strikes on Iran but added that he called off planned attacks because they would have been "disproportionate."
