Skip to main content

Tillerson Works to Unite Saudi Arabia and Iraq as Iran Threat Increases

Share This article

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is pushing Saudi Arabia and Iraq to unite together in order to counter growing Iranian aggression.

Tillerson participated in an inaugural meeting of the Saudi Arabia-Iraq coordination committee Sunday.

He met with Iraq's prime minister Haider al-Abadi and Saudi Arabia's King Salman for the meeting.

The US is trying to seal a new alliance between the two nations in hopes of isolating Iran. 

US officials want to counter Iran's growing influence from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea, especially as the Iraqi government looks to rebuild liberated Islamic State strongholds. 

"We believe this will in some ways counter some of the unproductive influences of Iran inside of Iraq," Tillerson said at a news conference with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir.

Tillerson has also called for European countries and companies to cut ties with Iran.

"We are hoping that European companies, countries, and others around the world will join the US as we put in place a sanctions structure to prohibit certain activities of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard that foment instability in the region and create destruction in the region," Tillerson said.

Meanwhile, Tillerson also made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan Monday.

He visited Bagram Air Base to hold talks with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and other senior officials. 

He's outlining the Trump administration's new South Asia policy and underscoring America's ongoing commitment to stabilizing the war-ravaged country.

Share This article

About The Author

CBN News