Kirby: ‘Complete Fallacy’ to Say We’ve Withdrawn from Middle East

HEMMER: "Move to Iran and Saudi Arabia right now."
KIRBY: "Yes."
HEMMER: "These countries  as you know, have reached precarious point. And it's a 50-50 proposition as to which way it goes forward. What is American leadership doing to bring down the tension?"
KIRBY: "The secretary of has been active in reaching out to counterparts throughout the region, not just in Saudi Arabia and Iran but throughout the region. Our message has been consistent, it' been clear. We want the conditions to be brought down. We want the diplomatic engagement and conversation to continue. This is not the time to be severing diplomatic ties. and relations. This is a time actually for dialogue. We understand and nobody is underestimating the tensions that have arisen as the result of these mass executions. We ourselves have expressed our concerns about the legal process in Saudi Arabia and we did that before this weekend's events. But what we really believe in is that these nations need to work through it, and work through it bilaterally. And at every level here at the State Department, not just Secretary Kerry, but our ambassadors --" [crosstalk] 
HEMMER: "If I may suggest, others would argue withdrawal from that region. Are they listening to us, sir?"
KIRBY: "I think it's a complete fallacy to say we have withdrawn from the region. The United States is very, very active in the Middle East. We have a robust military presence there and we have been very energetic and active on a diplomatic front. It's the United States who put the 65 nation member coalition against ISIL. It's the United States that has been a real leader in trying to get a political process going forward in Syria through the Vienna process. That has all been there as a result of U.S. diplomatic engagement and U.S. military leadership in the coalition. So far from it, we have not been disengaged at all. We are very active."