Analyst:

Trump doesn’t want war with Iran, so Pompeo changes tone accordingly

US President Donald Trump does not want war with Iran and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has changed his tone accordingly, a former American Senate foreign policy analyst has said.

News ID: 447174

Date: 21 September 2019 - 10:03

RNA - Pompeo has said the United States prefers a peaceful resolution to the crisis sparked by the recent attacks on Saudi Arabia’s state-run oil company.

"We'd like a peaceful resolution," Pompeo said on Thursday in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

"I hope the Islamic Republic of Iran sees it the same way," he told reporters.

Pompeo dialed back war rhetoric against Iran after Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif raised the prospect of "all-out war” if the United States carried out a possible military strike against the country.

Asked by CNN what the consequence of a US or Saudi military strike on Iran would be, Zarif said: "All-out war."

"We won't blink to defend our territory," Iran's foreign minister emphasized.

Speaking to Press TV on Friday, James Jatras, a former Senate foreign policy adviser in Washington, said, “It has been noticed that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s tone regarding Saudi Arabia, Iran and the crisis in the last week or so has changed somewhat. He’s been quite militant at the beginning regarding the need for military action against Iran. It seems clear that President Trump does not want to do that, and that Secretary Pompeo has changed his tone accordingly.”

“I suspect that this is not something that Mr. Pompeo wants but he feels that this is what his boss wants and the options regarding military action by the United States against Iran are not at all appetizing from Washington’s point of view, and that they're looking for some other way to resolve the crisis. It’s still very uncertain at this time but the fact that Mr. Pompeo had to back down rhetorically is a positive indication I believe," he added.

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