Press TV - The United States is keeping up with its hollow threats against Iran amid tensions between Washington and Tehran.

Hawkish Secretary of State Mike Pompeo appeared on ABC's "This Week" Sunday to set the stage for US President Donald Trump�s speech targeting Iran at the upcoming annual UN General Assembly on Tuesday.

The former CIA chief claimed that the White House is after diplomacy with Iran yet repeated vague threats against the Islamic Republic.

"President Trump and I both want to give diplomacy every opportunity to succeed," Pompeo said. "Our administration's taking this on in a serious way and we are working diligently to see that this has a diplomatic outcome... But make no mistake about it, if we're unsuccessful in that and Iran continues to strike out in this way, I am confident that President Trump will make the decisions necessary to achieve our objectives."

Pompeo was particularly angry over what he called "one of the largest attacks on the global energy supply in history" in reference to air attacks on Saudi Arabia's Abqaiq plant and the Khurais oil field September 14, falsely blamed on Iran.

Trump: 'China walking along, Iran taking longer'

The US president who initially stepped up threats of a "locked and loaded" response quickly softened his rhetoric.

Trump will meet at least a dozen leaders while at the United Nations during his three days in New York.

The president has been flaunting the idea that surrender from US nemeses such as China and Iran in the face of US hegemony.

�We're doing our own thing with Iran and with a lot of other places and I think we're doing very well. A lot of, a lot of progress is being made in a lot of different ways,� the US president said while visiting the US coast guard in Houston, Texas.

�China's coming along well. I actually think that tremendous progress with, was made over the last little while with respect to the question you just asked having to do with Iran. So we'll see. We'll see. But it's all going to work out. Always does. We get it to work out. If it doesn't, sometimes it takes a little longer.�

Tehran asserted that time and again that it would now bow to US unilateral pressure and stands ready to defend its interests in the region in case of US aggression.