TEL AVIV – U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, on a visit to Jerusalem, accused Iran of “fomenting terror” even as Iranians are battling the coronavirus pandemic.
“Even during this pandemic the Iranians are using the ayatollah regime’s resources to foment terror across the world, even when the people of Iran are struggling so mightily,” he said. “It tells you a lot about the soul of those people who lead that country.”
He added that while the efforts to curb the Islamic Republic’s regional aggression “has been successful,” there was still more work to be done.
Hours after Pompeo made his remarks, Fox News reported Iran is building a new weapons storage facility in eastern Syria at a military base near the Iraqi border.
The report included satellite images from private Israeli intelligence firm, ImageSat International.
In September 2019, “accelerated construction started a few weeks after the base was attacked for the first time” ImageSat said.
Pompeo’s one-day visit to Jerusalem marked his first trip abroad since COVID-19 hit the U.S.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Pompeo for his country’s efforts against Iran and its “aggressive designs and its aggressive actions against Americans, Israelis and everyone else in the region.”
The secretary of state also called for “progress” on the Trump administration’s proposal for solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.