Iranian President Hassan Rouhani made the remarks Monday night in reaction to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who promised “strongest sanctions in history” on Iran if Tehran refuses to change its foreign and domestic policy and to accept his laid-out 12 conditions for any “new deal” in the wake of Trump's pullout from the JCPOA.

“The current US administration has returned Washington to about 15 years ago, repeating the same old words of 2003 and 2004,” said President Rouhani, referring to the George W. Bush era.

“All countries in the world demand independence in their decision-making,” Rouhani said. “Perhaps the Americans may succeed in advancing certain objectives by exerting pressure, but logic does not accept that the US should decide for the whole world.”

The Iranian president noted Pompeo’s previous post as the CIA director, adding “it is utterly unacceptable that a man, who had served for years in an intelligence agency, to try and make decisions for Iran and other countries as US Secretary of State.”

“Who do you think you are to make decisions for Iran and the world, and to tell us what to do about our nuclear technology?” said Rouhani.

The President further dismissed Pompeo’s remarks as old and repetitive, adding “the Iranian people will pay them no mind and continue on their own path as a united nation.” </s> Iranian officials are slamming the United States for imposing sanctions on the country's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, personally targeting Iran's highest ranking diplomat. The move comes amid rising tensions between the two countries, which have long been at odds.

Zarif took to Twitter to criticize the sanctions in a message laced with sarcasm and incredulity.

"The US' reason for designating me is that I am Iran's 'primary spokesperson around the world' Is the truth really that painful?" Zarif wrote. "It has no effect on me or my family, as I have no property or interests outside of Iran. Thank you for considering me a huge threat to your agenda."

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani described the move as "childish" and a barrier to diplomacy. "Every day they claim: 'We want to negotiate with Iran, without any pre-conditions,' and then they put sanctions on the country's foreign minister," Rohuani said in a speech Thursday, the Associated Press reported.

Others at the United Nations have voiced their own opinions on the U.S.' latest sanction on Iran. U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres took an indirect swipe at the U.S. on the new visa sanctions, saying, "When I ask for maximum restraint, I ask for maximum restraint at all levels."

And, when Russia's Deputy U.N. Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy was asked about the new sanctions on Iran's Foreign Minister, he said, "It is very difficult sometimes to get into the heads of the Americans. It remains an enigma. Like a woman's mind sometimes Americans' minds are very mysterious," CBS News' Pamela Falk reports from the U.N.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the sanctions on Wednesday, describing Zarif as someone "who enriched himself at the expense of the Iranian people." On Twitter, Pompeo posed a picture of Zarif and stated, "Foreign Minister Zarif, a senior regime official and apologist, has for years been complicit in the Iranian regime's malign activities."

Recently, President @realDonaldTrump sanctioned Iran’s Supreme Leader, who enriched himself at the expense of the Iranian people. Today, the U.S. designated his chief apologist @JZarif. He’s just as complicit in the regime’s outlaw behavior as the rest of @khamenei_ir’s mafia. pic.twitter.com/XhDdqR6rik — Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) July 31, 2019

Pompeo has recently given mixed signals regarding policy toward Iran. Earlier this week, Pompeo wrote on Twitter, "I recently offered to travel to Tehran and speak directly to the Iranian people. The regime hasn't accepted my offer." Zarif called his offer "empty and disingenuous."

Iranian foreign minister "concerned about hidden agendas" in U.S.

Tensions between the U.S. and Iran have been on the rise this summer. On June 19, Iran seized a British-flagged oil tanker and also detained an additional vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's aggressive posture follows President Trump's 2018 decision to withdraw the U.S. from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran, the United States and other world powers. The Trump administration has also imposed sweeping economic sanctions on Iran, including restricting its oil exports, leaving the economy in shambles.

In June, President Trump nearly engaged in a military strike against Iran, after a U.S. drone was shot down in Iranian airspace. Mr. Trump said the U.S. military was "cocked and loaded" to retaliate against Iran at three different sites on June 21, but he said he called off the operation after learning 150 people would likely be killed. </s> TEHRAN. – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said the world would “not accept” US unilateralism just hours after Washington laid out a series of tough demands to be included in a potential new nuclear treaty with Iran.

In remarks carried by Iran’s ILNA news agency on Monday, Rouhani said the era of the United States making decisions for the rest of the world was “over”.

“Countries are independent … We will continue our path with the support of our nation,” Rouhani said.

“Who are you to decide for Iran and the world?”

Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump defied efforts by European allies and announced Washington’s withdrawal from a landmark multinational pact, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed with Iran in 2015 and a decision to impose harsh sanctions on Tehran.

In announcing the new US strategy towards Iran, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday warned that Washington “will apply unprecedented financial pressure on the Iranian regime” unless it complied with a list of 12 conditions, which must be met before any new deal can be reached.

The demands include giving the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) a full account of the country’s former nuclear military programme, withdrawing its forces from Syria and ending what Pompeo described as Iran’s “threatening behaviour” towards its neighbours.

Also responding to Pompeo, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif accused the US of a “regression to old habits”, saying Washington’s diplomatic efforts were a “sham”.

“It repeats the same wrong choices and will thus reap the same ill rewards. Iran, meanwhile, is working with partners for post-US JCPOA solutions,” Zarif said in a tweet on Monday.

Political analyst Jamal Abdi said the US knew that Iran could never agree with such demands.

“(It’s a) smokescreen of ‘We want to handle this diplomatically’, but I think this is all about paving a path towards confronting Iran militarily – whether that’s through covert action or an overt escalation in the region.”

Pompeo’s comments were welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said the demands amounted to “the only policy that could ultimately guarantee the security of the Middle East”.

“We call on the entire international community to join this American position,” Netanyahu said on Monday.

Anwar Gargash, the United Arab Emirates’ minister of state for foreign affairs, also said Washington was taking the correct stance on Iran.

“Uniting [our] efforts is the correct path for Iran to realize the futility of its incursions and expansionism … The Pompeo strategy requires wisdom and a change of the Iranian compass,” Gargash said in a tweet on Monday.

Under the 2015 deal with six world powers – China, France, Russia, the UK, the US and Germany, as well as the European Union – Iran scaled back its enrichment of uranium and vowed not to pursue nuclear weapons in exchange for sanctions relief.

The IAEA repeatedly confirmed that Tehran has been meeting its nuclear commitments enshrined in the deal fully.

The spat comes after several European companies expressed concern about continuing business with Iran following the US exit, raising further doubts about the viability of the deal.

Danish shipping giant Maersk Tankers, German insurer Allianz and Italian steel manufacturer Danieli have all announced plans to halt, or wind down altogether, operations in the country.

French energy giant Total has also warned it will pull out of a multibillion-dollar project to develop Iran’s vast South Pars gas field unless granted a waiver by US authorities.

Despite recent efforts from EU leaders to safeguard the 2015 deal, Zarif has accused the bloc of not doing enough to preserve its future, saying it “needs to take more practical strides and increase its investments in Iran if it is to continue its economic cooperation with the Islamic Republic (Iran)”.

Reacting to Pompeo’s comments, Boris Johnson – foreign secretary of the UK, which is party to the 2015 nuclear deal – said the “jumbo negotiation” sought by Washington would be extremely difficult to achieve within a “reasonable timetable”.

“I think in the end, we will get back to the kind of additions to the JCPOA that we initially envisaged – but it may take a long time,” Johnson said on Monday before a G20 foreign ministers summit in Argentina, at which discussions about the nuclear deal are expected to take place.

Britain has vowed to honour the 2015 agreement, which Johnson said had “protected the world from an Iranian nuclear bomb, and in return [given] the Iranians some recognisable economic benefits”.Federica Mogherini, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, told reporters later on Monday there is “no alternative” to the deal.

On Thursday, the European Commission said it would launch the process of activating a law that bans European companies and courts from complying with US sanctions against Iran.

Jean Claude Juncker, the commission’s president, said it has a “duty to protect European companies” from Washington’s punitive fiscal measures.

The options being considered by the bloc to keep Tehran in the nuclear deal reportedly include new credit lines, increased energy cooperation and implementing EU laws to block European firms from caving in to US sanctions.

EU trade with Iran has increased dramatically since the sanctions on its economy were lifted as part of the 2015 deal.

Last year, trade between the bloc and Iran totalled over 20bn euro ($23.5bn), with most exports being machinery and transport goods and the majority of imports being energy-related products. – Al Jazeera </s> In a half-hour speech at The Heritage Foundation, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sought to chart the way forward after the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. He pointed to Israel’s intelligence operation that showed Iran has been lying about a nuclear weapons program. Pompeo’s Iran speech is supposed to be part of a larger US strategy against Iran. Here are several takeaways:



The US made a “losing” bet on the JCPOA





In criticism directed at the former administration, he said the US had gambled that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or the "Iran deal," would curtail Iran’s rogue activities. Instead, Pompeo showed how Iran’s tentacles have spread across the region, fueled by the deal. In Syria, 11 million Syrians have been displaced by war, at least in part due to Iran’s militias. In Lebanon, Hezbollah is emboldened. In Yemen, Iran is supporting the Houthi militias, he said. In Iraq, the Ayatollahs are also supporting Shi’ite militias. He also claimed Iran was supporting the Taliban in Afghanistan.Pompeo’s list of Iran’s nefarious activities was long. He mentioned US citizens held in Iran and accused Iran of being the world’s “largest sponsor of terror.” This was a speech aimed initially at showing how the JCPOA was a failure and justifying the US decision to withdraw.Pompeo sought to reach out to the Iranian people and seemed to urge western countries to care more about their rights. He said Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammed Zarif, and President Hassan Rouhani were squandering Iran’s resources. He accused the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of carving out a corridor from Tehran to Israel’s borders. He urged the regime to protect its citizens and stop persecuting them. He spoke about the deep frustration of local protesters who have been striking against the regime.“Youth unemployment is at a staggering 25%. Government mismanagement of natural resources has led to severe droughts,” Pompeo said.He accused the regime of stealing from the people and wasting millions on terror groups abroad. Pompeo declared that women in Iran deserve the same rights as men, and mentioned the protests during which women removed the hijabs that the Ayatollahs have forced on them since the Islamic revolution in 1979.Reaching out to the Iranian people was a logical step in Pompeo's speech, but he was short on specifics. Some have continued to accuse the US of supporting “regime change” in Iran, but the reality is that Washington doesn’t seem to know what steps for the “Iranian people” America is willing to take. For instance, will this mean actual support for minorities, such as the Kurds, who are suppressed by Iran? Will the US provide asylum to dissidents? Where action is the US willing to take to really do something for the Iranian people?Pompeo declared the US would enforce the strongest sanctions in history. Iran would be battling to keep its economy alive, and that would strip it of the resources to keep up its activities in the region. He said the US would work to counteract cyber activities, track down operatives and proxies and “crush” them. Iran would no longer have a blank check to dominate the Middle East. He also threatened “bigger” problems if it restarts its nuclear program.Pompeo argued that he thought other western powers share America's views. But, as with the rest of the speech, it was not clear how the US would actually do any of this and whether this speech represents a plan beyond the State Department to implement these directives. The State Department has no real power to track people down. Instead, the Pentagon and CIA and other assets would all have to work in concert. That means discussing what to do with the US role in eastern Syria, which is ostensibly only to fight ISIS. What will the US do about funding for Lebanon and Iraq, which inevitably enables Iran’s clients? Is there any concrete plan to do something about these key issues and play hard ball with Lebanon and Iraq?Pompeo said the US was open to a new deal. “Our goal is to protect the American people. Any new agreement will ensure the regime never acquires a nuclear weapon.” This was the carrot part of the speech, after having provided the stick. The speech outlined certain demands, including the military dimensions of Iran’s nuclear program and said Iran must stop enrichment and end proliferation of ballistic missiles. Pompeo also said Iran must stop supporting Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and said Tehran must support disarming Shi’ite militias in Iraq and withdraw from Syria. The list of things Iran must do in order to receive the carrot of some kind of new deal was so long that it was unclear how Iran would ever meet any of these demands.He said the US was open to full diplomatic and economic relations and would permit Iran to have “advanced technology.” He said that the US would now support a treaty brought before Congress. This is a good step and it flips the logic of the JCPOA on its head. The JCPOA sought to beg Iran not to build nuclear weapons by offering sanctions relief. This new deal appears to ask Iran to do confidence-building measures first and only then receive something.In October 2017, then CIA director Pompeo made a speech at the University of Texas where he also accused Iran of being the “world’s largest state-sponsor of terrorism.” He likewise claimed Iran was making a drive for regional hegemony and pointed to its actions in Syria, Yemen and Iraq and its threats to Israel. So, what’s new?Wall Street Journal editorial page contributor Mary Kissel tweeted in response to the May 21 speech:“Unclear why Secretary Pompeo gave that Iran speech. A rehash of old ideas, no clarity on strategy, a call for regime change without the courage to utter the phrase.”Jonathan Schanzer, Senior Vice President for research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies tweeted that Pompeo’s vow to “crush proxies” appeared to be a “commitment to a new approach to counterterrorism.” He added that this unwillingness to go after Shi’ite terror groups had been a blind spot of Washington policy in the past.In the CIA, Pompeo had more tools to go after Iran’s proxies and the resources to gather intelligence on Iran’s activities. However, in the fall of 2017 the Trump administration did not appear to actually do anything in this regard. One could conclude that Pompeo took with him to the State Department the knowledge he gained at the CIA. The question is whether his speech will now mark a real strategy roll-out. Since last year there have been numerous false starts as the administration grasps for a policy.Important moves like the opening of the embassy in Jerusalem or scrapping the JCPOA can put down roots only with a full court press on policy. Pompeo in his Heritage speech rushed through a list of allies he hoped would come on board. Besides the “European friends,” he mentioned Bahrain, Australia, Egypt, India, Japan, Qatar, Japan, Kuwait, Jordan, Oman, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and the UAE. He was so rushed in naming these countries that listeners would have had to go back to the video tape to hear them all. One hopes that the policy roll out will be more clear and audible. </s> Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said the world would "not accept" US unilateralism just hours after Washington laid out a series of tough demands to be included in a potential new nuclear treaty with Iran.

In remarks carried by Iran's ILNA news agency on Monday, Rouhani said the era of the United States making decisions for the rest of the world was "over".

"Countries are independent ... We will continue our path with the support of our nation," Rouhani said.

"Who are you to decide for Iran and the world?"

Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump defied efforts by European allies and announced Washington's withdrawal from a landmark multinational pact, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed with Iran in 2015 and a decision to impose harsh sanctions on Tehran.

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In announcing the new US strategy towards Iran, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday warned that Washington "will apply unprecedented financial pressure on the Iranian regime" unless it complied with a list of 12 conditions, which must be met before any new deal can be reached.

The demands include giving the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) a full account of the country's former nuclear military programme, withdrawing its forces from Syria and ending what Pompeo described as Iran's "threatening behaviour" towards its neighbours.

Also responding to Pompeo, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif accused the US of a "regression to old habits", saying Washington's diplomatic efforts were a "sham".

"It repeats the same wrong choices and will thus reap the same ill rewards. Iran, meanwhile, is working with partners for post-US JCPOA solutions," Zarif said in a tweet on Monday.

US diplomacy sham is merely a regression to old habits: imprisoned by delusions & failed policies—dictated by corrupt Special Interest—it repeats the same wrong choices and will thus reap the same ill rewards. Iran, meanwhile, is working with partners for post-US JCPOA solutions. — Javad Zarif (@JZarif) May 21, 2018

Political analyst Jamal Abdi said the US knew that Iran could never agree with such demands.

"[It's a] smokescreen of 'We want to handle this diplomatically', but I think this is all about paving a path towards confronting Iran militarily - whether that's through covert action or an overt escalation in the region."

Pompeo's comments were welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said the demands amounted to "the only policy that could ultimately guarantee the security of the Middle East".

"We call on the entire international community to join this American position," Netanyahu said on Monday.

Anwar Gargash, the United Arab Emirates' minister of state for foreign affairs, also said Washington was taking the correct stance on Iran.

"Uniting [our] efforts is the correct path for Iran to realize the futility of its incursions and expansionism ... The Pompeo strategy requires wisdom and a change of the Iranian compass," Gargash said in a tweet on Monday.

EU diplomacy

Under the 2015 deal with six world powers - China, France, Russia, the UK, the US and Germany, as well as the European Union - Iran scaled back its enrichment of uranium and vowed not to pursue nuclear weapons in exchange for sanctions relief.

The IAEA repeatedly confirmed that Tehran has been meeting its nuclear commitments enshrined in the deal fully.

The spat comes after several European companies expressed concern about continuing business with Iran following the US exit, raising further doubts about the viability of the deal.

Danish shipping giant Maersk Tankers, German insurer Allianz and Italian steel manufacturer Danieli have all announced plans to halt, or wind down altogether, operations in the country.

French energy giant Total has also warned it will pull out of a multibillion-dollar project to develop Iran's vast South Pars gas field unless granted a waiver by US authorities.

Despite recent efforts from EU leaders to safeguard the 2015 deal, Zarif has accused the bloc of not doing enough to preserve its future, saying it "needs to take more practical strides and increase its investments in Iran if it is to continue its economic cooperation with the Islamic Republic [Iran]".

'Jumbo negotiation'

Reacting to Pompeo's comments, Boris Johnson - foreign secretary of the UK, which is party to the 2015 nuclear deal - said the "jumbo negotiation" sought by Washington would be extremely difficult to achieve within a "reasonable timetable".

"I think in the end, we will get back to the kind of additions to the JCPOA that we initially envisaged - but it may take a long time," Johnson said on Monday before a G20 foreign ministers summit in Argentina, at which discussions about the nuclear deal are expected to take place.

Britain has vowed to honour the 2015 agreement, which Johnson said had "protected the world from an Iranian nuclear bomb, and in return [given] the Iranians some recognisable economic benefits".

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Federica Mogherini, the European Union's foreign policy chief, told reporters later on Monday there is "no alternative" to the deal.

On Thursday, the European Commission said it would launch the process of activating a law that bans European companies and courts from complying with US sanctions against Iran.

Jean Claude Juncker, the commission's president, said it has a "duty to protect European companies" from Washington's punitive fiscal measures.

The options being considered by the bloc to keep Tehran in the nuclear deal reportedly include new credit lines, increased energy cooperation and implementing EU laws to block European firms from caving in to US sanctions.

EU trade with Iran has increased dramatically since the sanctions on its economy were lifted as part of the 2015 deal.

Last year, trade between the bloc and Iran totalled over 20bn euro ($23.5bn), with most exports being machinery and transport goods and the majority of imports being energy-related products. </s> Iranian officials are slamming the United States for imposing sanctions on the country's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, personally targeting Iran's highest ranking diplomat. The move comes amid rising tensions between the two countries, which have long been at odds.

Zarif took to Twitter to criticize the sanctions in a message laced with sarcasm and incredulity.

"The US' reason for designating me is that I am Iran's 'primary spokesperson around the world' Is the truth really that painful?" Zarif wrote. "It has no effect on me or my family, as I have no property or interests outside of Iran. Thank you for considering me a huge threat to your agenda."

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani described the move as "childish" and a barrier to diplomacy. "Every day they claim: 'We want to negotiate with Iran, without any pre-conditions,' and then they put sanctions on the country's foreign minister," Rohuani said in a speech Thursday, the Associated Press reported.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the sanctions on Wednesday, describing Zarif as someone "who enriched himself at the expense of the Iranian people." On Twitter, Pompeo posed a picture of Zarif and stated, "Foreign Minister Zarif, a senior regime official and apologist, has for years been complicit in the Iranian regime's malign activities."

Pompeo has recently given mixed signals regarding policy toward Iran. Earlier this week, Pompeo wrote on Twitter, "I recently offered to travel to Tehran and speak directly to the Iranian people. The regime hasn't accepted my offer." Zarif called his offer "empty and disingenuous."

Tensions between the U.S. and Iran have been on the rise this summer. On June 19, Iran seized a British-flagged oil tanker and also detained an additional vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's aggressive posture follows President Trump's 2018 decision to withdraw the U.S. from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran, the United States and other world powers. The Trump administration has also imposed sweeping economic sanctions on Iran, including restricting its oil exports, leaving the economy in shambles.

In June, President Trump nearly engaged in a military strike against Iran, after a U.S. drone was shot down in Iranian airspace. Mr. Trump said the U.S. military was "cocked and loaded" to retaliate against Iran at three different sites on June 21, but he said he called off the operation after learning 150 people would likely be killed. </s> TEHRAN: Iran's President Hassan Rouhani dismissed threats made by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday, saying the rest of the world no longer accepts Washington making decisions on their behalf.

"Who are you to decide for Iran and the world?" Rouhani said in a statement carried by multiple Iranian news agencies.

"The world today does not accept that the United States decides for the world. Countries have their independence," he added.

It was a pointed response to Pompeo's speech earlier in the day, in which he threatened the "strongest sanctions in history" against Iran unless it capitulated to a series of 12 demands regarding its regional behaviour and missile programme.

But Rouhani dismissed the administration of President Donald Trump as a "move 15 years backwards to the era of Bush junior and a repeat of the same statements as 2003".

"The era of such statements has evolved and the Iranian people have heard these statements hundreds of times, and no longer pays attention," he added.

European leaders have strongly condemned the US move to abandon the 2015 nuclear deal and reimpose sanctions, seeing it as undermining regional security and a direct attack on their economic interests.

Russia and China -- two other parties to the agreement -- have also criticised the US move and vowed to maintain trade with Iran.

"The world does not accept the logic by which a gentleman who was head of the spy service... decides for others," said Rouhani, referring to Pompeo's recent job as head of the CIA. </s> In his first major speech as U.S. secretary of state, Mike Pompeo threatened Iran with the ‘strongest sanctions in history’ and vowed to “crush” the regime’s proxies around the world.



“We will apply unprecedented financial pressure on the Iranian regime. The leaders in Tehran will have no doubt about our seriousness,” Pompeo said on Monday

He demanded Iran withdraw its forces from Syria and end its support for Hezbollah and Hamas adding that the U.S. would be prepared to re-establish relations with Tehran when they could see “tangible and sustained shifts” in Iranian policy.

He issued a list of 12 requirements for such a deal, many of which Iran would be unlikely to agree to.

In response to the speech, a senior Iranian official said that Pompeo’s remarks show the U.S. is after a regime change in Iran.

RT reports: Speaking at the Heritage Foundation, a right-wing Washington think tank, Pompeo laid out a list of 12 “basic requirements” for Iran. The demands call on Iran to withdraw from Syria, “release all US citizens,” end support for Houthi rebels in Yemen, stop “enrichment” of uranium, and promise never to process plutonium. Iran must also allow “unqualified access to all nuclear sites throughout the country,” Pompeo said.

He promised that the US would impose the “strongest sanctions in history” if Iran failed to comply with these demands.

Pompeo said that “the sting of sanctions will be painful” and Iran will struggle to “keep its economy alive” if Tehran “does not change its course from the unacceptable and unproductive path it has chosen.”

“Thanks to our colleagues at the Department of Treasury, sanctions are going back in full effect and new ones are coming … These will indeed end up being the strongest sanctions in history,” Pompeo said.

The secretary of state also pledged that the US “will track down Iranian operatives and their Hezbollah proxies operating around the world, and we will crush them. Iran will never again have carte blanche to dominate the Middle East.”

Speaking directly to the Iranian people, Pompeo claimed that “President [Hassan] Rouhani and Foreign Minister [Javad] Zarif… are your elected leaders. Are they not the most responsible for your economic struggles?” He added: “The United States believes you deserve better.”

Pompeo also said he’s sure that over time, Washington’s allies will warm to the Trump administration’s now unpopular stance on Iran.

Washington’s strategy is to weaken Iran economically, rather than engage in an actual war, Dr. Said Sadik, Professor of political sociology at the American university of Cairo, told RT in response to Pompeo’s address. “What the [US] is doing now is increase sanctions trying to undermine the power of Iran regionally, economically with the hope that that would lead to unrest and disturbances in Iran, that it would make the Iranian government stop trying to help its allies or extend its influence in the area. This is basically what they want.”

Sadik added: “I don’t think they want a war because war is very expensive and dangerous in this strategic area…What they want is to weaken Iran financially, economically, with the hope that the Iranian government will not be that powerful in the area as it is now.”

The speech comes after Trump announced earlier this month that he was pulling out of the 2015 nuclear deal. Europeans allies had pleaded with Trump not to withdraw from the historic accord, which put tight restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. Iranian president Hassan Rouhani described the US pull-out from the deal as a “historic experience for Iran,” adding that “by exiting the deal, America has officially undermined its commitment to an international treaty.”

Iran says it expects the EU to continue to honor the agreement, despite Washington’s withdrawal from the accord. Inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have repeatedly confirmed that Iran is in full compliance with its obligations under the deal. </s> The Latest: Iran says 'sham' US policy to reap 'ill rewards'

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussing strategy on Iran (all times local):

Iran's foreign minister has taken to Twitter to criticize a speech by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that took a hard line on the Islamic Republic.

Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted late Monday that he saw U.S. diplomacy as a "sham" that was "imprisoned by delusions & failed policies."

Zarif wrote: "It repeats the same wrong choices and will thus reap the same ill rewards."

The Iranian foreign minister noted his country continues to work with Europe on "solutions" after President Donald Trump pulled America out of the 2015 nuclear deal.

Pompeo on Monday threatened to place "the strongest sanctions in history" on Iran if its government doesn't change course.

Israel's prime minister is praising U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's tough speech on Iran.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Pompeo had outlined a "very strong position" welcomed by Israel. Earlier Monday, Pompeo issued a steep list of demands to be included in a nuclear treaty to replace the deal scuttled by President Donald Trump.

Pompeo said Iran would have to stop the enrichment of uranium and withdraw its forces from Syria. He warned of "the strongest sanctions in history" if Iran doesn't change course.

Netanyahu says, "We believe it's the only policy that can ultimately guarantee the security of the Middle East and peace in our region." Netanyahu called for other countries to follow America's lead.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is offering a series of dramatic potential U.S. concessions to Iran if it agrees to make "major changes."

Pompeo on Monday called for a stronger nuclear agreement with Iran following the U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 deal.

He says if a deal was reached that satisfies the Trump administration, the U.S. would be willing to lift all economic sanctions. He says the U.S. would restore full diplomatic and commercial ties with Iran and allow it to access advanced technology.

Pompeo says the U.S. would even support the modernization of Iran's economy and help it reintegrate into the global financial system.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is threatening to place "the strongest sanctions in history" on Iran if its government doesn't change course.

Pompeo on Monday called for a new nuclear agreement with Iran following President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal. He says the Trump administration prefers for it to be a treaty that is ratified by Congress.

Pompeo is laying out an onerous list of 12 "basic requirements" demands on Iran that he says should be included. He says Iran must "stop enrichment" of uranium and never preprocess plutonium. Iran must also allow nuclear "unqualified access to all sites throughout the country."

Pompeo says Iran must also "release all U.S. citizens," end support for Houthi rebels in Yemen, "withdraw all forces" from Syria and stop threatening Israel.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the Iran nuclear deal was "a loser" with huge repercussions throughout the Middle East.

Pompeo is defending President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the 2015 deal during a speech Monday at the conservative Heritage Foundation. He's laying out the Trump administration's strategy for ramping up pressure on Iran in hopes of securing a better deal.

Pompeo says Iran "advanced its march across the Middle East" since the 2015 deal was enacted. He says the Obama administration "made a bet" that Iran would stop rogue actions and adhere to global norms.

Pompeo says Trump withdrew because the deal failed to guarantee Americans safety from the risks posed by Iran. He says the deal "put the world at risk because of its fatal flaws."

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is laying out the Trump administration's strategy for constraining Iran's nuclear program and opposing its other behavior in the region following President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal.

Pompeo will present the approach during a speech Monday at the conservative Heritage Foundation. It's Pompeo's first major policy speech since starting as top U.S. diplomat.

The speech comes a week after Trump announced he was pulling out of the deal struck by President Barack Obama, Iran and world powers. Europeans allies had pleaded with Trump not to scuttle that deal.

Pompeo is expected to call for those same allies and other nations to join the U.S. in ramping up pressure on Iran in hopes of securing what Trump has described as a "better deal."
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani rejects Pompeo's demands, and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif accuses the U.S. of "repeating past mistakes."