Iran's leaders already gave their two cents on the rising tensions between Tehran and the
United States on Sunday. Tuns out, some folks in
Washington who have had some experience dealing with
Iran also had some things to say.Secretary of State
Mike Pompeo, appearing on CBS' Face the Nation, once again accused Iran of orchestrating the strikes against Saudi oil facilities last week, while repeating that he considers it "a state-on-state act of war." When host Margaret Brennan mentioned that Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif denies the allegations, Pompeo was not overly friendly to his counterpart, saying "it's beneath the dignity of anyone to listen to" him. But Pompeo did maintain he's looking for a diplomatic solution.Former
Secretary of State John Kerry and former Defense Secretary James Mattis shared some sentiments with Pompeo. In an appearance on ABC's This Week, Mattis said Tehran is doing what it's always done — "trying to craft a foreign policy that pushes others around." Mattis added that the U.S. needs to urge its allies to stand with Washington to prevent Tehran from destabilizing the Middle East.
Kerry, who helped foster the 2015 nuclear pact with Iran, also appeared on Face the Nation where he preached restraint when it came to dealing with Tehran and even praised
President Trump for doing just that. But he did say that he thinks Iran was "one way or the other" behind the oil facilities attacks and that "our allies" who still support the 2015 agreement also "support holding Iran accountable for other issues in the region."