Crush Iran: The Strategy We Should Have Pursued All Along

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered his first major foreign policy address saying Monday the United States is prepared to level the strongest sanctions in history on Iran if its government does not reverse course on its nuclear ambitions.

Two weeks ago, President Trump withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) because its fatal flaws failed to guarantee the safety of the American people.

The JCPOA, Pompeo said, “permitted the Iranian regime to use the money from the JCPOA to boost the economic fortunes of a struggling people, but the regime’s leaders refused to do so. Instead, the government spent its newfound treasure fueling proxy wars across the Middle East and lining the pockets of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis.”

“We should remember, too, that during the JCPOA Iran continues to hold Americans hostage: Baquer Namazi, Siamak Namazi, Xiyue Wang and Bob Levinson who has been missing for over 11 years,” continued Pompeo.

Later in his speech at the Heritage Foundation the Secretary of State said, “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.”

Then came the diplomatic body slam of demands on Iran:

First, 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.

Second, Iran must stop enrichment and never pursue plutonium reprocessing. This includes closing its heavy water reactor.

Third, Iran must also provide the IAEA with unqualified access to all sites throughout the entire country.

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

Iran must release all U.S. citizens, as well as citizens of our partners and allies, each of them detained on spurious charges.

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

Iran must respect the sovereignty of the Iraqi Government and permit the disarming, demobilization, and reintegration of Shia militias.

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

Iran must withdraw all forces under Iranian command throughout the entirety of Syria.

Iran, too, must end support for the Taliban and other terrorists in Afghanistan and the region, and cease harboring senior al-Qaida leaders.

Iran must end the IRG Quds Force’s support for terrorists and militant partners around the world.

Iran must end its threatening behavior against its neighbors many of whom are U.S. allies. This certainly includes its threats to destroy Israel, and its firing of missiles into Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. It also includes threats to international shipping and destructive cyberattacks.

The list is long. Neither President Trump nor Secretary of State Pompeo created it, the mullahs did.

Pompeo made it clear this is America’s strategy. It’s the strategy we always should have pursued.