“President Trump withdrew from the deal for a simple reason: it failed to guarantee the safety of the American people”

On Monday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke at the Heritage Foundation about the Trump Administration’s position vis-à-vis Iran and minced no words in offering the tough, hard-nosed perspective the administration espouses in dealing with the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism.

Pompeo began by noting President Trump’s termination of the United States’ participation in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal. He stated bluntly, “President Trump withdrew from the deal for a simple reason: it failed to guarantee the safety of the American people from the risk created by the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran. No more. No more wealth creation for Iranian kleptocrats. No more acceptance of missiles landing in Riyadh and in the Golan Heights. No more cost-free expansions of Iranian power. No more.”

Pompeo delineated the flaws of the deal: the weak sunset provisions of the JCPOA, which “merely delayed the inevitable nuclear weapons capability of the Iranian regime” as well as the consistent lying from the despotic Iranian regime about their nuclear ambitions; (Pompeo quoted Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif telling a Sunday morning news show, “We never wanted to produce a bomb,” then commented, “This claim – this claim would be laughable if not for the willful deception behind it.”

Other flaws: the mechanisms for inspection of Iran’s compliance with the deal were weak; the JCPOA allowed the Iranian regime to use the money from the JCPOA to fund murderous groups, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis.

Pompeo also noted that Iran continues to hold Americans hostage: Baquer Namazi, Siamak Namazi, Xiyue Wang, and Bob Levinson.

Pompeo addressed the Iranian people: “Today we ask the Iranian people: Is this what you want your country to be known for, for being a co-conspirator with Hezbollah, Hamas, the Taliban, and al-Qaida? The United States believe you deserve better.”

Then, in as direct an attack on the Iranian regime as could be imagined, Pompeo refused to make a distinction between the mullahs who rule the country and the ostensible political leaders:

Pompeo stated, “It is clear that the JCPOA has not ended Iran’s nuclear ambitions, nor did it deter its quest for a regional hegemony. Iran’s leaders saw the deal as the starting gun for the march across the Middle East.”

He laid out the principles guiding the Trump Administration’s policy:

First, we will apply unprecedented financial pressure on the Iranian regime. The leaders in Tehran will have no doubt about our seriousness.Thanks to our colleagues at the Department of Treasury, sanctions are going back in full effect and new ones are coming. Last week we imposed sanctions on the head of Iran’s central bank and other entities that were funneling money to the IRGC Qods Force. They were also providing money to Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations. The Iranian regime should know that this is just the beginning … These will indeed end up being the strongest sanctions in history when we are complete. Second, I will work closely with the Department of Defense and our regional allies to deter Iranian aggression. We will ensure freedom of navigation on the waters in the region. We will work to prevent and counteract any Iranian malign cyber activity. We 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 … Third, we will also advocate tirelessly for the Iranian people. The regime must improve how it treats its citizens. It must protect the human rights of every Iranian. It must cease wasting Iran’s wealth abroad.

Pompeo noted the growing protests in Iran, then pointed out, “The Iranian regime’s response to the protests has only exposed the country’s leadership is running scared. Thousands have been jailed arbitrarily, and at least dozens have been killed. As seen from the hijab protests, the brutal men of the regime seem to be particularly terrified by Iranian women who are demanding their rights. As human beings with inherent dignity and inalienable rights, the women of Iran deserve the same freedoms that the men of Iran possess. But this is all on top of a well-documented terror and torture that the regime has inflicted for decades on those who dissent from the regime’s ideology.”

Pompeo continued, “Any new agreement will make sure Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon, and will deter the regime’s malign behavior in a way that the JCPOA never could. We will not repeat the mistakes of past administrations, and we will not renegotiate the JCPOA itself. The Iranian wave of destruction in the region in just the last few years is proof that Iran’s nuclear aspirations cannot be separated from the overall security picture.”

Then Pompeo issued the Trump Administration’s list of 12 demands for Iran:

1. To declare to the IAEA a full account of the prior military dimensions of its nuclear program, and permanently and verifiably abandon such work in perpetuity;

2. To stop enrichment and never pursue plutonium reprocessing, including closing its heavy water reactor;

3. To provide the IAEA with unqualified access to all sites throughout the entire country;

4. To end its proliferation of ballistic missiles and halt further launching or development of nuclear-capable missile systems;

5. To release all U.S. citizens, as well as citizens of our partners and allies;

6. To end support to Middle East terrorist groups, including Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad;

7. To respect the sovereignty of the Iraqi Government and permit the disarming, demobilization, and reintegration of Shia militias;

8. To end its military support for the Houthi militia and work toward a peaceful political settlement in Yemen;

9. To withdraw all forces under Iranian command throughout the entirety of Syria;

10. To end support for the Taliban and other terrorists in Afghanistan and the region, and cease harboring senior al-Qaida leaders;

11. To end the IRG Qods Force’s support for terrorists and militant partners around the world;

12. To end its threatening behavior against its neighbors – many of whom are U.S. allies.

Pompeo stated that unlike the Obama Administration, the Trump Administration wants to include Congress as a partner in the process. He also stated that the Trump Administration wants other countries to join the effort, including the Australians, the Bahrainis, the Egyptians, the Indians, the Japanese, the Jordanians, the Kuwaitis, the Omanis, the Qataris, the Saudi Arabians, South Korea, the UAE, and many others worldwide, adding, “Indeed, we welcome any nation which is sick and tired of the nuclear threats, the terrorism, the missile proliferation, and the brutality of a regime which is at odds with world peace, a country that continues to inflict chaos on innocent people.”

For the full text of Pompeo’s remarks, see here.</s>(CNN) In comments likely to frustrate the White House, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany and China will stand by the existing nuclear accord with Iran, even as the US has withdrawn and expects its European allies to follow suit.

Her remarks come hours after Iran's leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, issued a set of demands to European powers in which he voiced skepticism that they would remain committed to the 2015 deal. He also warned that Iran would restart its nuclear activities if they failed to act swiftly.

"The heads of European countries say different things. For our economy, we cannot rely on JCPOA and the Europeans," Khamenei said in statements that were published on his official website. He was referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, otherwise known as the Iran nuclear accord.

Khamenei said the JCPOA could only continue if the Europeans fulfill six conditions including: Promising not to ask Iran about its ballistic missile program or its regional activities; guaranteeing that Iran's oil will continue to be sold and compensating for any losses and buying any remainining stock; and having European banks guarantee financial transactions with Iran.

"If the Europeans linger over our demands, Iran has the right to resume its nuclear activities," Khamenei continued. "When we see that the JCPOA is useless, one way forward is to restart those halted activities."

The US was like Tom in "Tom and Jerry"

Khamenei said Iran had learned its lessons and could no longer "interact with the US." Speaking with Iranian government officials on Wednesday, Khamenei said the US had "plotted various political, economic, military and propaganda schemes against the Islamic Republic," all aimed at overthrowing the regime.

"All their plots have failed .... just like Tom from the well-known Tom and Jerry cartoon; and they will fail again in the future."

Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, told reporters in Tehran on Wednesday that Iranian support in Middle Eastern countries was only there because those countries had requested it.

"As long as these governments want us to maintain our presence we will help, and the aids we provide is to the benefit of the entire world," Zarif said.

Iran has funded and equipped proxy forces in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, as well as Houthi rebels in Yemen who are fighting pro-government forces. It has also provided for Shia militias and their commanders and politicians in neighboring Iraq. Rockets fired into Saudi Arabia from Yemen are reported to have been supplied to the rebels by Iran. And Israel has sustained attacks along its borders with Lebanon and Syria from Iranian-supported forces.

'We didn't create the list, they did'

He set out at least 12 conditions for Iran to meet if it wanted to avoid the painful "sting of sanctions" that would include "unprecedented financial pressure."

Among Pompeo's demands: Iran allowing a full account and verification of its nuclear program and the permanent and verifiable abandonment of it; an end to enrichment; access for the International Atomic Energy Agency into all weapons sites across Iran; the end of ballistic missile proliferation, the release of all detained US citizens; and the end of its support to militant groups including Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

"The length of the list is simply a scope of the malign behavior of Iran," Pompeo said in his speech at conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation in Washington DC. "We didn't create the list, they did."

When it comes to Iran's demands, it insists that its oil sales continue unperturbed regardless of the impact of whatever sanctions the US might impose. Right now, the biggest consumer of Iran's oil is China . And with Li standing beside Merkel as she declared the two nations would remain committed to the deal, those sales seem less in doubt.

In his comments on Monday Pompeo said he expected not only "European friends" to support the US strategy, "but much more than that."

"I want the Australians, the Bahrainis, the Egyptians, the Indians, the Japanese, the Jordanians, the Kuwaitis, the Omanis, the Qataris, the Saudi Arabians, South Korea, the UAE and many, many others worldwide to join in this effort," he said.

But so far, the responses have been muted. The Europeans and other world leaders had urged the White House not to walk away from the deal.

Along with Merkel, the leaders of Europe and the European Union have said they intend to stick to the deal, while leaders in Russia and Turkey criticized the US decision. Votes of support are few, and have so far come from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as the leaders of Saudi Arabia and the UAE.</s>Among other things, Iran must end all military aspects of its nuclear program, stop uranium enrichment, completely withdraw from Syria and end support for terrorist groups, Pompeo said. Pompeo also demanded the release all U.S. citizens and those of U.S. partners and allies "detained on spurious charges or missing in Iran."

"While to some, the changes in Iranian behavior we seek may seem unrealistic, we should recall that what we are pursuing was the global consensus before the JCPOA," said Pompeo, referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran adopted under the Obama administration. "We are not asking anything other than Iranian behavior that is consistent with global norms and the elimination of its capacity to threaten our world with its nuclear activities."

The Trump administration ended U.S. participation in the JCPOA — an agreement that also includes Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China as signatories — this month after concerted efforts by European partners to salvage the deal.

"I have spent a great deal of time with our allies in the past week, and they may try to keep the old nuclear deal going with Tehran. That is their decision to make," Pompeo said. "They know where we stand."

Now, the secretary says the U.S. is pursuing a bigger Iran deal with a broader international coalition, asking for the support of U.S. allies beyond Europe, such as Australia, Japan, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Speaking at an event in Argentina, U.K. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson called Pompeo a "great guy" but said he thought a new "jumbo" Iran treaty would be very difficult to achieve.

"I think if you try now to fold all those issues — ballistic missiles, Iran's behavior, Iran’s disruptive activity in the region, nuclear activity — if you try to pull all of those into a giant negotiation, a new jumbo Iran negotiation, a new treaty," Johnson said, "I don’t see that being very easy to achieve in anything like a reasonable timescale."

Pompeo said the timeline for change is up to the Iranian people.

"At the end of the day the Iranian people get to make a choice about their leadership," Pompeo said in response to a question from the audience. "If they make the decision quickly, that would be wonderful. If they choose not to do so, we will stay hard at this until reaching the outcome I set forward."

The Pentagon also seemed to suggest a more aggressive policy on confronting Iran Monday, saying that they would "double down" on actions to confront Iran’s "malign influence" in the region.

"We are going to take steps necessary to address Iran’s influence in the region," Col. Rob Manning, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters. "It is a whole of government approach."

Manning did not outline concrete steps that the Pentagon might take, however.

"It's on the table. We are not going to rule out anything," he said.</s>US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has called on Australia and other nations to help execute the Trump administration's tough new campaign to ensure Iran "has no path to a nuclear weapon - not now, not ever".

Pompeo, in his first major foreign policy speech since becoming secretary of state, on Monday used fiery language to outline America's strategy after US President Donald Trump earlier this month defied the wishes of Australia, France, Great Britain and other allies and pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal.

He said the US was ready impose the "strongest sanctions in history" against Iran and listed 12 demands the regime must follow, including providing the International Atomic Energy Agency with unqualified access to all sites throughout Iran.

"In the strategy we laid out today, we want the support of our most important allies and partners in the region and around the globe," Pompeo said in his address to the Heritage Foundation in Washington DC.

"Certainly our European friends, but much more than that.

"I want the Australians, the Bahrainis, the Egyptians, the Indians, the Japanese, the Jordanians, the Kuwaitis, the Omanis, the Qataris, the Saudi Arabians, South Korea, the UAE, and many, many others worldwide to join in this effort against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

"I know that those countries share the same goals."

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said on May 9 he regretted Mr Trump's decision to pull out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal between Iran and the US, Britain, Russia, France, China and Germany.

The deal, championed by former US president Barack Obama, lifted sanctions on trade with Iran in exchange for the slowing of the country's nuclear research and development program.

Pompeo warned Iran "will be battling to keep its economy alive" when US sanctions come into force.

* Iran must declare to the IAEA a full account of the prior military dimensions of its nuclear program, and permanently and verifiably abandon such work in perpetuity.

* provide the IAEA with unqualified access to all sites throughout the entire country.

* end its proliferation of ballistic missiles and halt further launching or development of nuclear-capable missile systems.

* release all US citizens, and citizens of US partners and allies, detained in Iran on "spurious" charges.

* end support to Middle East terrorist groups, including Lebanese Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

* respect the sovereignty of the Iraqi Government and permit the disarming, demobilsation and reintegration of Shia militias.

* end its military support for the Houthi militia and work towards a peaceful political settlement in Yemen.

* withdraw all forces under Iranian command in Syria.

* end support for the Taliban and other terrorists in Afghanistan and the region, and cease harbouring senior al-Qaeda leaders.

* end the IRG Quds Force's support for terrorists and militant partners around the world.

* end its threatening behaviour against its neighbours, including threatening to destroy Israel and firing missiles into Saudi Arabia and the UAE.</s>US demands wholesale changes in Iran policies post-nuke deal

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Monday demanded that Iran make wholesale changes in its military and regional policies or face "the strongest sanctions in history," as it sought to turn up heat on Tehran after President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from a landmark nuclear deal.

In speech that called Iran out for a wide range of "malign activities" apart from its nuclear program, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called for the negotiation of a new deal that would go far beyond the single focus of the 2015 agreement and would have the status of a formal treaty. The 2015 deal concluded under the Obama administration dealt only with the nuclear program and was not a treaty but rather a U.N.-endorsed executive agreement between the parties.

Unless such a treaty can be reached, Pompeo warned that Iran would face tough sanctions that would leave it "battling to keep its economy alive." But he laid out no strategy for convincing Iran, the other participants in the original deal — Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the European Union — or others to open such a negotiation.

"These will end up being the strongest sanctions in history by the time we are complete," Pompeo said at the conservative Heritage Foundation in his first major policy speech since taking over as top diplomat.

Pompeo vowed Trump's approach would ensure Iran would never develop a nuclear weapon. A new pact should require that Iran stop enrichment of uranium, which was allowed within strict limitations under the previous deal. Iran would also have to walk away from core pillars of its foreign policy, including its involvement in Syria, Yemen, Lebanon and Afghanistan, he said.

"This list may seem long to some, but it is simply a reflection of the massive scope of Iranian malign behavior," Pompeo said. "America did not create this need for changed behavior. Iran did."

In response, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani described Pompeo's speech as unacceptable and took issue with the fact that the secretary of state previously led the CIA, long demonized in Iran for its role in a 1953 coup.

"A guy who had been active in an espionage center for years now wants to make a decision for Iran and other countries from the position of a foreign minister. It is not acceptable under any circumstance," Rouhani said to a group of university teachers in Tehran. "Who are you to make a decision for Iran and the world and to tell Iran what to do and what not to do in the nuclear field?"

Pompeo did offer Iran a series of dramatic potential U.S. concessions if it agrees to make "major changes." Under a new agreement, the U.S. would be willing to lift all sanctions, restore full diplomatic and commercial ties with Iran and even support the modernization of its economy, Pompeo said.

"It is America's hope that our labors toward peace and security will bear fruit for the long-suffering people of Iran," Pompeo said.

Still, Pompeo's list of 12 requirements included many that Iran is highly unlikely to consider. He said Iran must allow nuclear inspectors "unqualified access to all sites throughout the country," Pompeo said, alluding to military sites that were off-limits under the 2015 deal except under specific circumstances. To that end, he also said Iran must declare all previous efforts to build a nuclear weapon, reopening an issue that the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency has already deemed a closed matter.

Pompeo also demanded that Iran cease from a range of activities throughout the Middle East that have long drawn the ire of the U.S. and its allies. He said Iran must end support for Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen, "withdraw all forces" from Syria, halt support for its ally Hezbollah and stop threatening Israel.

Iran must also "release all U.S. citizens" missing in Iran or being held on "spurious charges," he said.

Taken together, the demands would require a complete transformation by Iran's government, and they hardened the perception that the administration is really seeking regime change. A longtime Iran hawk, Pompeo has spoken positively about regime change in the past, but in his confirmation hearing last month he sought to soften that stance.

Laying out Trump's new approach Monday, Pompeo said he couldn't put a timeline on how long the strategy might take.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, speaking to reporters in Argentina, said he believed packaging all of Iran's concerning behavior into one agreement would be a heavy lift.

"If you try to pull all of those into a giant negotiation, a new jumbo Iran negotiation, a new treaty . I don't see that being very easy to achieve in anything like a reasonable timescale," he said. "The idea of a jumbo Iran treaty (is) very difficult."

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogerhini said in a statement that Pompeo had not shown how resolving any of Iran's problematic non-nuclear activities would be easier done outside of the deal, which is known as the JCPOA, the acronym for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

"Secretary Pompeo's speech has not demonstrated how walking away from the JCPOA has made or will make the region safer from the threat of nuclear proliferation or how it puts us in a better position to influence Iran's conduct in areas outside the scope of the JCPOA," she said. "There is no alternative to the JCPOA."

Pompeo said he understood that Trump's decision "will pose financial and economic difficulties for a number of our friends." But he warned them that the U.S. planned to follow through with threats to punish European companies that continue doing business with Iran that is allowed under the deal but will violate reimposed U.S. sanctions.

"I know our allies in Europe may try to keep the old nuclear deal going with Tehran. That is their decision to make," Pompeo said. "They know where we stand."

Associated Press writers Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran; Matthew Pennington in Washington; and Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.

Reach Josh Lederman on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP and Matthew Lee at www://twitter.com/APDiploWriter</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>(CNN) In comments likely to frustrate the White House, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany and China will stand by the existing nuclear accord with Iran, even as the US has withdrawn and expects its European allies to follow suit.

Her remarks come hours after Iran's leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, issued a set of demands to European powers in which he voiced skepticism that they would remain committed to the 2015 deal. He also warned that Iran would restart its nuclear activities if they failed to act swiftly.

"The heads of European countries say different things. For our economy, we cannot rely on JCPOA and the Europeans," Khamenei said in statements that were published on his official website. He was referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, otherwise known as the Iran nuclear accord.

Khamenei said the JCPOA could only continue if the Europeans fulfill six conditions including: Promising not to ask Iran about its ballistic missile program or its regional activities; guaranteeing that Iran's oil will continue to be sold and compensating for any losses and buying any remainining stock; and having European banks guarantee financial transactions with Iran.

"If the Europeans linger over our demands, Iran has the right to resume its nuclear activities," Khamenei continued. "When we see that the JCPOA is useless, one way forward is to restart those halted activities."

The US was like Tom in "Tom and Jerry"

Khamenei said Iran had learned its lessons and could no longer "interact with the US." Speaking with Iranian government officials on Wednesday, Khamenei said the US had "plotted various political, economic, military and propaganda schemes against the Islamic Republic," all aimed at overthrowing the regime.

"All their plots have failed .... just like Tom from the well-known Tom and Jerry cartoon; and they will fail again in the future."

Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, told reporters in Tehran on Wednesday that Iranian support in Middle Eastern countries was only there because those countries had requested it.

"As long as these governments want us to maintain our presence we will help, and the aids we provide is to the benefit of the entire world," Zarif said.

Iran has funded and equipped proxy forces in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, as well as Houthi rebels in Yemen who are fighting pro-government forces. It has also provided for Shia militias and their commanders and politicians in neighboring Iraq. Rockets fired into Saudi Arabia from Yemen are reported to have been supplied to the rebels by Iran. And Israel has sustained attacks along its borders with Lebanon and Syria from Iranian-supported forces.

'We didn't create the list, they did'

He set out at least 12 conditions for Iran to meet if it wanted to avoid the painful "sting of sanctions" that would include "unprecedented financial pressure."

Among Pompeo's demands: Iran allowing a full account and verification of its nuclear program and the permanent and verifiable abandonment of it; an end to enrichment; access for the International Atomic Energy Agency into all weapons sites across Iran; the end of ballistic missile proliferation, the release of all detained US citizens; and the end of its support to militant groups including Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

"The length of the list is simply a scope of the malign behavior of Iran," Pompeo said in his speech at conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation in Washington DC. "We didn't create the list, they did."

When it comes to Iran's demands, it insists that its oil sales continue unperturbed regardless of the impact of whatever sanctions the US might impose. Right now, the biggest consumer of Iran's oil is China . And with Li standing beside Merkel as she declared the two nations would remain committed to the deal, those sales seem less in doubt.

In his comments on Monday Pompeo said he expected not only "European friends" to support the US strategy, "but much more than that."

"I want the Australians, the Bahrainis, the Egyptians, the Indians, the Japanese, the Jordanians, the Kuwaitis, the Omanis, the Qataris, the Saudi Arabians, South Korea, the UAE and many, many others worldwide to join in this effort," he said.

But so far, the responses have been muted. The Europeans and other world leaders had urged the White House not to walk away from the deal.

Along with Merkel, the leaders of Europe and the European Union have said they intend to stick to the deal, while leaders in Russia and Turkey criticized the US decision. Votes of support are few, and have so far come from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as the leaders of Saudi Arabia and the UAE.</s>Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu started May 22 with a series of Tweets, bashing Iran. In the first one he lambasted Tehran as the reason for conflicts in the Middle East in a Leninesque rework of his famous quote “Learn, learn and learn.”

​The passionate delivery resonated with commentators on Twitter, who responded symmetrically. Even the supporters echoed Netanyahu’s triple verbal attack on Iran.

​The critics picked up his stylistic device, but turned it against Israel with slight deviations…

​However, Netanyahu didn’t stop at one Tweet, elaborating on the matter with several follow-ups. He welcomed Donald Trump’s firm position on Iran, thanked the US for the “right policy,” praising the recent claims by new Secretary of State Mike Pompeo – “no enrichment, tough sanctions, and Iran should get out of Syria.”

READ MORE: Israeli PM Praises Pompeo's Iran Speech as 'Policy That Can Guarantee Security'

According to the Israeli top official, this is “the only policy that could ultimately guarantee the security of the Middle East and peace in the region.”

​He also gave his view on Iran’s nuclear program and accused Tehran of hiding the nuclear archive, claiming the Islamic Republic had “lied about it, and moved it from place to place because Iran is seeking nuclear weapons and conquest.”

​Israel was one of the key supporters of Washington’s recent decision to re-impose sanctions on Iran, as President Donald Trump announced the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, in a move that sparked a cold snap in Washington's ties with its European allies and co-signatories to the deal, including the European Union, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Iran, Russia, and China.

In his speech "After the Deal: A New Iran Strategy" at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pledged that the US would apply unprecedented financial pressure on Tehran via sanctions.

Warning that the "sting of sanctions" will not ease until Iran changes its course, Pompeo made it clear that the new sanctions will be the "strongest in history" and will make Tehran battle to "keep its economy alive."

The Islamic Republic has slammed the address, with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani saying that the world cannot accept that Washington makes unilateral decisions for all nations. Iran has repeatedly dismissed the allegations that it continues working on its nuclear program secretly.</s>Iran’s top leader set out seven conditions on Wednesday for Tehran to stay in its nuclear deal with world powers, including steps by European banks to safeguard trade with Tehran after the US withdrawal from the pact.



Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s official website said that he also stipulated European powers must protect Iranian oil sales from US pressure and continue buying Iranian crude, and must promise they would not seek new negotiations on Iran’s ballistic missile program and regional Middle East activities.



“European banks should safeguard trade with the Islamic Republic. We do not want to start a fight with these three countries (France, Germany and Britain) but we don’t trust them either,” Khamenei said.

“Europe should fully guarantee Iran’s oil sales. In case Americans can damage our oil sales..., Europeans should make up for that and buy Iranian oil.”

Last Update: Wednesday, 23 May 2018 KSA 22:26 - GMT 19:26</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.
Iran sets seven conditions to stay in the JCPOA Iran deal after the U.S. withdrew. One of these conditions is that European banks should safeguard trade with Iran.