US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a televised interview on Thursday that he would go to Iran for talks if it was necessary, amid tensions between Tehran and Washington.

Asked if he would be willing to go to Tehran, Pompeo said in an interview with Bloomberg TV: “Sure. If that’s the call, I’d happily go there … I would welcome the chance to speak directly to the Iranian people.”

Tensions between Iran and the United States have ratcheted up since last year, when US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew his country from the Iranian nuclear deal, formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, claiming it was not strong enough. Washington also re-imposed sanctions on Tehran.

The relationship between the two countries has been strained further over the past three months following attacks on oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Iran.

Source: Sputnik