Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, met Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss a “global coalition” against Iran Getty ImagesPresident Trump has told countries that they should protect their oil shipping lanes from attack in the Gulf, declaring that the United States had little need for a presence in the Middle East as it approached energy independence. Mr Trump’s tweets came as Washington was poised to announce fresh sanctions in Iran after attacks on tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The US president said it was Asian countries that mostly depended on the route for energy shipments while the boom in domestic shale oil and gas production has weaned the US off dependence on the Middle East. “Why are we protecting the shipping lanes for other countries (many years) for zero compensation,” Mr Trump asked. “All of these countries should be protecting their…

Source: The Times June 24, 2019 16:08 UTC