Pompeo was making a speech before Iranian-American leaders at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library when he began to attack the Iranian Regime for stealing money from its own people to “line their own pockets” and commit acts of warfare and terrorism around the world, even comparing them to mob bosses and calling them “hypocritical holy men”.
He said: “The level of corruption and wealth among regime leaders shows that Iran is run by something that resembles the Mafia more than a government.”
This speech happened just three weeks before the US’s banking sanctions on Iran will roll back into place, following the US’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal in May. These sanctions were already in place but were suspended whilst the US was a party to the nuclear deal. More sanctions, specifically targeting Iran’s oil industry, will snap back in November.
Pompeo also addressed US demands that the Iranian Regime stops repressing dissidents and funding terrorist groups.
He said that the US Broadcasting Board of Governors was going to attempt to circumvent Internet censorship in Iran by creating a slew of Farsi media outlets (including television, radio, digital and social media) to show “ordinary Iranians inside Iran and around the globe [that] America stands with them”.
This shows that the US policy on Iran is peaceful and democratic regime change, something long advocated by Iranian dissidents, including the National Council of Resistance of Iran.
Trump on Twitter
On Sunday, Iranian president Hassan Rouhani threatened the US over the “mother of all wars” if the US stuck to their policy of cutting off Iran’s oil exports by November. This threat follows earlier threats about closing the Strait of Hormuz – through where one-fifth of global oil flows – if their oil exports were harmed.
Trump responded to this on Twitter, warning Iran that they faced dire consequences if they attempted to threaten the US again and leaving no doubt that this was a line that the Iranian Regime should not attempt to cross.
He tweeted: “To Iranian President Rouhani: NEVER, EVER THREATEN THE UNITED STATES AGAIN OR YOU WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE. WE ARE NO LONGER A COUNTRY THAT WILL STAND FOR YOUR DEMENTED WORDS OF VIOLENCE & DEATH. BE CAUTIOUS!”
