US condemns Iran missile test
When asked about the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Pompeo cited a lack of direct evidence linking Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the murder on Oct. 2 in Istanbul.
“I have read every piece of intelligence that’s in the possession of the United States government,” Pompeo told Blitzer.
“And when it is done, when you complete that analysis, there’s no direct evidence linking him to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. That is a accurate statement, it is an important statement, and it is a statement that we are making publicly today.”
Saudi Arabia’s prosecution has charged 11 people with involvement in the journalist’s death, while Trump administration imposed penalties on 17 individuals last month over their alleged roles in the killing of Khashoggi.
During the interview, he also said that the US and Saudi Arabia were working closely in Afghanistan as well as against Iran.
Pompeo’s statement of US support for the Kingdom comes after he wrote on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia remained a “powerful force for stability in the Middle East” and warned against any attempts to harm US relations with Saudi Arabia.
“Saudi Arabia, like the US — and unlike these critics — recognizes the immense threat the Islamic Republic of Iran poses to the world,” he wrote in a blog post. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday condemned what he described as Iran’s testing of a medium-range ballistic missile capable of carrying multiple warheads as a violation of the international agreement on Tehran’s nuclear program.
Amid tension between Washington and Tehran over ballistic missiles, Pompeo warned in a statement released on Twitter that Iran is increasing its “testing and proliferation” of missiles and called on the Islamic Republic to “cease these activities.”
President Donald Trump pulled out of an international nuclear agreement in May and reimposed sanctions on Tehran, criticizing the deal for not including curbs on Iran’s development of ballistic missiles or its support for proxies in Syria, Yemen, Lebanon and Iraq.
While defending its missile program, Iran has however threatened to disrupt oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf, if the US tries to strangle Iranian oil exports. Last month, an Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander said US bases in Afghanistan, the UAE and Qatar and US aircraft carriers in the Gulf were within range.
Pompeo’s statement provided few details about the latest Iranian missile test.
“The Iranian regime has just test-fired a medium-range ballistic missile that’s capable of carrying multiple warheads,” he wrote in the tweet.
“This test violates UNSCR 2231,” he added, citing the UN Security Council’s endorsement of the international nuclear agreement. “We condemn this act.”
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, addressing a security forum in California, said the Iranian launch was significant and was a reminder that Tehran was unlikely to be deterred from pursuing missile technology or supporting militant proxies.
“It shows that our best efforts to try to talk them out of their aggressive support of terrorism is probably going to be as unsuccessful as the UN’s effort to stop them from launching missiles,” Mattis said.
He added that while the strategic threat from Iran was less significant globally than the one from North Korea, he said it was regionally significant.
“And it could grow beyond that if it’s not dealt with,” Mattis said.
The Islamic Republic’s government has ruled out negotiations with Washington over its military capabilities, particularly its missile program, which is run by the Revolutionary Guards.
On Tuesday, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran warned the European Union that Tehran’s patience was running out on the bloc’s pledge to keep up oil trading despite US sanctions. He said Iran could resume enriching uranium to 20 percent purity if it fails to see economic benefits from the 2015 deal that curbed its nuclear program.