Pompeo to Visit Israel on Monday, Officials Say
Visit will revolve around Washington's efforts in the United Nations to resume arms sanctions against Iran, relations with Gulf states and China ■ Jared Kushner is also set to visit next month
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit Israel on Monday, Israel officials told Haaretz on Saturday.
Pompeo is also set to travel on to the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday to discuss the Middle Eastern countries' normalization deal, a person briefed on his itinerary said. Also expected to be discussed is the potential U.S. sale of fighter jets and drones to the UAE.
Senior Trump administration aide Jared Kushner is also set to visit Israel in early September, along with Avi Berkowitz, an assistant to President Donald Trump and Kushner's close adviser.
Talks during the visit by Pompeo will focus Washington's efforts in the United Nations to invoke the "snapback" mechanism to reimpose sanctions on Iran as part of the deal on Tehran's nuclear program. In addition, the secretary of state is expected to discuss relations with Gulf states and China during his snap visit.
Snapback allows Security Council participants to demand the restoration of all UN sanctions in a complicated procedure that cannot be blocked by a veto.
- Pompeo expected to seek reimposing Iran sanctions in Thursday meeting with UN chief
- Kushner says more states to follow suit as U.S. officials praise Israel-UAE deal
- Mike Pompeo, enemy of American values
Reuters contributed to this report.