Pompeo sets out to build global coalition against Iran

WASHINGTON-The Associated Press

The U.S. secretary of state says he will be talking to officials in the Persian Gulf as well as Asia and Europe as he sets out to build an international coalition against Iran.

Mike Pompeo traveled from Washington to Saudi Arabia on June 23 to begin a set of hastily arranged meetings designed to push back against what he calls the world's largest state sponsor of terror.

Pompeo's mission comes as the U.S. sends conflicting signals on Iran, ranging from bellicose to conciliatory and back again.

Amid the tough talk on Iran, Pompeo himself says the U.S. is prepared to negotiate with Iran, without preconditions, in a bid to ease tensions.

That said, new sanctions are to be announced Monday in a bid to force the Iranian leadership into talks.