Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reportedly told a group of Iranian-American community leaders the United States would not rely on the military for regime change in Iran.
On Monday he said U.S. is “not going to do a military exercise inside Iran” when asked about it during a closed-door meeting in Dallas, Texas, according to Axios.
A little more than a dozen leaders were in attendance, asking Pompeo questions. On the issue of regime change, Pompeo said the U.S. is “careful not to use the language of regime change.”
“Our mission set is to give them the opportunity. … capacity to create opportunity, create that and provide transitional support,” he reportedly told the group. “ … Our best interest is a non-revolutionary set of leaders leading Iran.”
Pompeo also distanced President Trump’s administration from the People’s Mujahedin of Iran, known as the MEK. Pompeo acknowledged national security adviser John Bolton and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani have ties to the dissident group which seeks to overthrow the ruling Iranian regime and was once labeled by the U.S. as a terrorist organization, but indicated he and Trump do not.
“Let’s not beat around the bush,” Pompeo said according to the notes of one of the attendees. “Ambassador Bolton spoke at an MEK rally. President Trump and I have not.”
There has been a “maximum pressure” campaign to pinch the Iranian regime and reduce its finances since the U.S. pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal about a year ago. Also Sunday, the Washington Post reported Pompeo will announce Monday the U.S. will no longer grant sanctions waivers to countries that import Iranian oil. That would mean countries would be subject to U.S. sanctions if they don’t entirely stop importing Iranian oil by May.
The U.S. has granted waivers to countries still importing oil from Iran as a way to ease transition to other sources, but Pompeo is reportedly set to announce that time is up for those still importing. Three of the eight countries that were given waivers have completely stopped taking in Iranian oil, leaving China, India, Turkey, Japan, and South Korea.
“The goal of the policy is to drive up the costs of Iran’s malign behavior and more strongly address the broad range of threats to peace and security their regime presents,” a State Department official told the Post.
The U.S. is pressuring the Iranian regime to sit down with the administration to craft a better nuclear deal than the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action that was ratified when Barack Obama was president. Trump announced the U.S. would be leaving the deal last year.
Source » washingtonexaminer