After the attacks of Aramco .. Pompeo does not rule out a peaceful solution with Iran

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday that Washington wanted a "peaceful solution" to the escalating crisis with Iran on the back of Washington's accusation that Tehran was behind unprecedented attacks on Saudi Aramco.

Pompeo said he was able to give US President Donald Trump important information on how to proceed in the wake of the Aramco attacks, noting that his country wants a peaceful solution and is still seeking to build an alliance.

"We want a peaceful solution," Pompeo told reporters after a visit to Abu Dhabi. "I hope the Islamic Republic sees the issue in the same way." This came after a warning from his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, of an "all-out war" if his country was hit by a US or Saudi strike.

Earlier on Thursday, the US secretary of state arrived in the UAE to discuss the repercussions of the attack on Saudi Aramco oil facilities.

Pompeo flew to Abu Dhabi from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where he met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the same issue.

Attack and Fallout
On Saturday, Riyadh announced the control of two fires in the facilities of Abqaiq and Khurais affiliated to Aramco in the east of the Kingdom, as a result of being targeted by drones, in an operation adopted by the Yemeni Houthi group.

These two facilities are the heart of the oil industry in the Kingdom, where they reach most of the crude extracted for processing, before being converted for export or refining.

During his visit to Jeddah, Pompeo described the attack that targeted the two oil facilities in the Kingdom as a "war action", and attributed it again to Iran.

Riyadh, for its part, said that the attack carried out by drones and adopted by the Houthis in Yemen took place "undoubted support from Iran."

Since Sunday, Iran has rejected accusations by the United States and Saudi Arabia that it was responsible for attacks on Saudi Aramco's facilities.

Prior to his arrival in Abu Dhabi, the US Secretary of State praised the declaration of Saudi Arabia and the UAE participating in the International Alliance for the Safety and Freedom of Maritime Navigation.

He said on Twitter that the United States appreciates the announcement made by the two friendly countries, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, about their participation in the International Alliance for Security and Freedom of Navigation.

Alliance .. Word
On July 9, the idea of ​​forming a military-security alliance to protect maritime security in the Straits of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab, the head of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph Danford, first emerged after a series of attacks on six oil tankers and the downing of Iranian air defenses. US reconnaissance aircraft, near the Strait of Hormuz.

For his part, Zarif warned in an interview with the network "CNN" on Thursday that an attack from the United States or Saudi Arabia on Tehran will lead to "all-out war."

"We do not want a war, we do not want to engage in a military confrontation. We consider that an armed conflict based on hoax is terrible. But we will not hesitate to defend our land."

Meanwhile, the United Nations announced on Thursday the arrival of a team of experts to Saudi Arabia to investigate the attacks on Aramco, while Russia urged the Gulf states to start talks to ease tensions.