United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is back in the air once more, again working to build consensus and a cogent policy for dealing with the Islamic Republic. Seemingly in the Middle East more often than in Washington, Pompeo appears determined to enlist the support of predominantly Sunni nations in the region with a common goal of preventing Iran from destabilizing the Gulf and nuclearizing its arsenal. Monday marks the next stage of sanctions imposed by the United States. Saudi Arabia and the Abu Dhabi are first stops on the tour after which the SecState visits India and then hooks up with POTUS for meetings in India and South Korea. Pompeo no doubt hopes this week is less frenetic than last, when two Japanese-owned oil tankers were bombed, presumably by Iran, in the Gulf of Oman and President Trump is still trying to convince the world that his aborting of a retaliatory strike against Iran was an act of self-restraint because the planned attack would have been too deadly. Meanwhile, in a sign of the times, the Iranians have threatened to launch additional strikes against drones. The role of the SecState in an emerging “Good-Cop/Bad-Cop” scenario is also taking shape as Pompeo organizes a “global coalition” against Iran while the President and Vice-President speak of “negotiations with no pre-conditions.”
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo makes a statement to the media (Photo: by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)