Pompeo discusses anti-Iran efforts with Saudi minister

RIYADH/WASHINGTON: Visiting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday discussed with Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir on Monday the regional efforts against the Iranian "malign" activity, Al Arabiya TV reported.

Both officials also discussed critical regional issues involving Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, Libya, and Afghanistan. They also agreed on the importance of continuing to support political progress to achieve peace in Yemen. -- Xinhua

AFP adds: The White House demanded that the military draft plans for strikes on Iran after attacks in Iraq last year, sparking concern at the Pentagon and State Department, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.

The report said the move came after a mortar attacklaunched by an Iran-linked group on the Baghdad diplomatic quarters home to the US embassy in September. No one was hurt by the shells, which landed in an open lot.

But the White House National Security Council (NSC) sought to develop a forceful American response to the low-scale attack, including options for a strike against the Islamic republic, the Journal reported.

It added that the NSC also requested options to respond with strikes in Iraq and Syria. “It definitely rattled people,” a former senior US administration official told the newspaper. “People were shocked. It was mind-boggling how cavalier they were about hitting Iran.”

Although the Defence Department did develop proposals for a possible strike, the Journal said it was unclear whether they were shared with the White House.

In one NSC meeting, then deputy national security advisor Mira Ricardel called the attacks in Iraq an “act of war” and called for a decisive US response. Pentagon officials stressed that it was not unusual for the Defence Department to draw up military plans for the White House.