Pompeo Visits Middle East to ‘Counter Iran, Boost Netanyahu’

By Staff, Agencies

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sought Wednesday to bolster a ‘united front’ against Iran during a Middle East tour that will include talks with key ally Zionist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of the upcoming ‘Israeli’ elections.

Pompeo kicked off his regional tour in Kuwait where he met Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah on the first stop of a trip that will also take him to the ‘Israeli’-occupied territories as well as to Lebanon.

Pompeo would discuss "strategic dialogue" and the need to combat "the threat posed by the Islamic Republic of Iran" with leaders in the region, he told reporters.

He will also push for a greater role for the Middle East Strategic Alliance, a so-called US-sponsored Arab NATO aimed at uniting Washington's Arab allies against Tehran.

Pompeo’s next stop will be in the occupied territories where an election campaign is in its final weeks with Netanyahu locked in a close battle with centrist rivals.

While Washington claims it is not interfering in ‘Israeli’ politics, Pompeo’s visit is seen as a sign of support for Netanyahu, who is struggling to keep his grip on power as he faces charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust ahead of the April 9 polls.

Meanwhile, no meetings with Netanyahu's opponents are set on Pompeo’s schedule.