Pompeo on Middle East tour to bolster ‘united front’ against Iran

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sought on Wednesday to bolster a united front against Iran during a Middle East tour, AFP reported. The top US diplomat 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 Israel and Lebanon. Pompeo told reporters on the flight from the US that he would discuss “strategic dialogue” and the need to combat “the threat” posed by Iran with leaders in the region. Pompeo will also fly to Israel where an election campaign is in its final weeks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu locked in a close battle with centrist rivals. No meetings with Netanyahu’s opponents are scheduled, and Pompeo will not meet with representatives of the Palestinian Authority.