Amidst heightened tensions, US Secretary of Sate to visit Saudi Arabia and UAE

Amidst heightened tensions in the region following a drone attack on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will embark on a two-day visit to the Middle East.

"Secretary Michael R. Pompeo will travel to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, September 17 to 19," US State Department announced.

Pompeo will begin his trip in Jeddah, arriving September 18. 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 Iran aggression in the region.

After this, he will travel to Abu Dhabi to meet with UAE Prince Mohammed bin Zayed to discuss regional and bilateral issues.

On September 15, Pompeo had said in a tweet, "Tehran is behind nearly 100 attacks on Saudi Arabia while Rouh and Zarif pretend to engage in diplomacy. Amid all the calls for de-escalation, Iran has now launched an unprecedented attack on the world's energy supply. There is no evidence the attacks came from Yemen."

"We call on all nations to publicly and unequivocally condemn Iran's attacks. The United States will work with our partners and allies to ensure that energy markets remain well supplied and Iran is held accountable for its aggression," he had added.

The visit to Middle East Asia comes in the wake of the drone attack on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia. Yemen's Houthi rebels had claimed the responsibility for the attack.

( With inputs from ANI )