Washington 0
10 January 2019

In a major speech in Cairo entitled "A Force for Good: America Re-invigorated in the Middle East", Secretary Pompeo declared that "President Trump has reversed our willful blindness to the danger of the [Iranian] regime and withdrew from the failed nuclear deal... we embarked on a new pressure campaign to cut off the revenues the regime uses to spread terror and destruction throughout the world. We joined the Iranian people in calling for freedom and accountability. And importantly, we fostered a common understanding with our allies of the need to counteract the Iranian regime's revolutionary agenda". He went on to say that "we will not ease our campaign to stop Iran's malevolent influence and actions against this region and the world. The nations of the Middle East will never enjoy security, achieve economic stability or advance the dreams of their people if Iran's revolutionary regime persists on its current course". U.S. sanctions, Pompeo stressed, "will keep getting tougher until Iran starts behaving like a normal country". 

Subscribe to Crisis Group’s Email Updates

Receive the best source of conflict analysis right in your inbox.