US Vice President Mike Pence speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) annual meeting at National Harbor near Washington, DC, March 1, 2019. Photo: Reuters / Yuri Gripas / File.

JNS.org – US Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday echoed US President Donald Trump’s comments in response to the Iranian-backed attack against two Saudi Aramco oil facilities on Saturday.

“In the wake of this weekend’s unprovoked attack on several oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, I promise you we’re ready,” said Pence at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC. “As the president said, we don’t want war with anybody, but the United States is prepared. We’re locked and loaded. And we’re ready to defend our interests and our allies in the region. Make no mistake about it.”

Pence reiterated Trump’s comments on Monday that it appears Iran was behind it, and that US intelligence is looking to determine if that was actually the case, as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has been dispatched to Saudi Arabia.

“If the attacks were initiated from Iran, the truth is they would just be the latest of increasingly dangerous escalations instigated by the Islamic Republic,” said Pence, who added that the regime is “the greatest threat to peace and security in the Middle East.”

Pence warned, “If Iran conducted this latest attack to pressure President Trump to back off, they failed. America is ready to defend our interests.”

“We’re evaluating all the evidence. We’re consulting with our allies,” said Pence, adding that “the president will determine the best course of action in the days ahead,” and that “the United States of the America will take whatever action is necessary to defend our country, our troops and our allies in the Gulf.”