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. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif took to Twitter on Monday to criticize Pompeo's speech, calling U.S. diplomacy a "sham" that is "imprisoned by delusions & failed policies." WASHINGTON >> The United States on Monday issued a steep list of demands to be included in a nuclear treaty with Iran to replace the deal scuttled by President Donald Trump and threatened “the strongest sanctions in history” if Iran doesn’t change course. 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. 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. Netanyahu says, "We believe it's the only policy that can ultimately guarantee the security of the Middle East and peace in our region." At the same time, Pompeo offered 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. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday warned Tehran would be hit with the "strongest sanctions in history" and cautioned European firms against continuing to do business with it, toughening up Washington's policy line after its withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. In a speech Monday, Pompeo called Iran out for a wide range of "malign activities" apart from its nuclear program and demanded the negotiation of a new deal that goes far beyond the single focus of the 2015 agreement and that would have the status of a formal treaty. If they choose not to do so, we will stay hard at this until we achieve the outcomes that I set forward today.”

In another departure from the Obama administration’s approach, Pompeo said that “a treaty is our preferred way to go.” Former President Barack Obama did not seek a Senate-ratified treaty with Iran because of the dim prospects for getting approval from a Republican-run Congress. RT reports: Speaking at the Heritage Foundation, a right-wing Washington think tank, Pompeo laid out a list of 12 “basic requirements” for Iran. He said Iran must allow nuclear “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. 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. The comments came as Washington tries to increase pressure on Tehran after President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the international nuclear deal. He's laying out the Trump administration's strategy for ramping up pressure on Iran in hopes of securing a better deal. Meanwhile, Pentagon spokesman Colonel Rob Manning said the military was weighing "new actions" to counter Iran's influence in the Middle East, but he stressed this was part of a "whole of government" approach and offered no details. “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. 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. But the Trump administration has held out hope that those same allies will put aside that frustration and work with the U.S. to ramp pressure back up on Iran through sanctions in a bid to bring Tehran back to the negotiating table for a stronger deal.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the U.S. will impose "the strongest sanctions in history" on Iran if it does not meet various demands, including ending its nuclear program and leaving the Syrian Civil War.