Secretary Pompeo explained that "were this a simple civil war in Yemen, it would be difficult to justify America having any involvement, but sadly, that's not the case. This is the terrain in which al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula exists... we have an obligation to protect America, to take down that al-Qaeda terrorist threat that is on the inside of Yemen". "Moreover", Pompeo continued, "we have the Iranians using Yemen as a platform, a platform to hold ships transiting through the strait and around and through the waters that surround Yemen, both to the south of Yemen and to the west of Yemen, holding Americans ships, ships sailing through those seas, at risk. We also have Iranian platforms... unmanned, armed aerial vehicles as well as missile systems launching missiles into Riyadh and into the Emirates, where Americans travel frequently. There are real security risks". "The Saudis have an unambiguous right to defend themselves from attacks out of Yemen", he added, "and it is not the Huthis but rather the Iranians that are responsible for that".