Pompeo To Meet Saudi Crown Prince To Discuss Attacks On Oil Facilities - State Dept.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is flying Jeddah to discuss the recent attacks on Saudi oil facilities with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and to coordinate a strategy to counter Iran, State Department Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said in a media note on Tuesday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th September, 2019) Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is flying Jeddah to discuss the recent attacks on Saudi oil facilities with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and to coordinate a strategy to counter Iran, State Department Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said in a media note on Tuesday.

"Secretary Michael Pompeo will travel to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), September 17 to 19," Ortagus said. "He will meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss the recent attack on the Kingdom's oil facilities and coordinate efforts to counter Iranian aggression in the region."

Pompeo will begin his trip in Jeddah, arriving on Wednesday, the media note said.

The secretary of state will then fly on to Abu Dhabi, where he will also hold talks with UAE Prince Mohammed bin Zayed for talks on regional and bilateral issues, Ortagus added.

On Saturday, Saudi Arabia was forced to shut down two Saudi Aramco oil facilities in Abqaiq and Khurais after a drone attack claimed by Yemeni Houthis caused massive fires. The attacks cut Saudi Arabia's output by 5.7 million barrels per day, or more than 5 percent of the world's daily crude production.

US officials have accused Iran of playing a role in the attacks, but Iran has strongly denied the accusation.