Pompeo says Iran behind tanker raids
WASHINGTON: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is working the phones to convince wary leaders in Asia and Europe that Iran was behind alleged attacks on shipping in a key Middle East oil route — and that it’s a problem for the whole international community to deal with, not just the United States.
While calling US evidence “unmistakable’’ that Iran was to blame for alleged attacks on two oil tankers last week near the Strait of Hormuz, Mr Pompeo was emphasising international diplomacy over any possible new US military response in appearances on Sunday news shows.
“We are going to work to build out a set of countries that have deep vested interest in keeping that strait open to help us do that,” Mr Pompeo said.
“I made a bunch of phone calls yesterday. I’ll make a whole bunch more calls today. The world needs to unite,” Mr Pompeo said. He did not say what kind of action the Trump administration was envisioning.
Iran has denied being involved in the attacks and accused America of promoting an “Iranophobic” campaign against it.
Pressed on whether new US military deployment to the region was possible, Mr Pompeo said that “of course” it remained among the options that President Donald Trump may consider to keep oil tankers moving through the narrow strait, a strategic choke point for oil shipments from the Middle East.
Mr Trump last year withdrew the US from an international agreement, signed in 2015 by President Barack Obama, to limit Iran’s nuclear programme. He has reinstated economic sanctions and recently ended waivers that allowed some countries to continue buying Iranian oil. That has deprived Iran of oil income and has coincided with what US officials said was a surge in intelligence pointing to Iranian preparations for attacks against US forces and interests in the Gulf region.
The US has accelerated the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier battle group to the region, sent four nuclear-capable B-52 bombers to Qatar and bolstered its defences in the region by deploying more Patriot air defence systems.
Some European allies have called for a careful investigation of responsibility, worried that Mr Trump was escalating tensions with a country he has long called a top US enemy.
Mr Pompeo stressed that the US gets relatively little of its energy supplies through the strait, which lies between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. The US Energy Information Administration says 16% of US petroleum imports came from the Persian Gulf countries in 2018.
By contrast, about 80% of oil through the passage supplies energy-hungry countries in Asia, including China, Japan, India and South Korea, which wants to keep the oil flowing, he said.