Secretary of State Mike Pompeo argued that “the right time to normalise with Iran is when the regime complies with the basic set of rules and behaviours that we expect of every nation. Today, they continue to build out their missile program, to extend their capacity to wreak terror… they continue to behave in ways that are inconsistent even that they made under the JCPOA”. He went on to assert that “it’s a crazy idea to think that you’re going to get back into a deal that permitted a clean pathway for the Iranians to have a nuclear weapon… We’ve put sanctions on them, we’ve made it more difficult for them to expand their terror regime, we’ve made clear they’re not going to get a nuclear weapon. It’s simply not going to be possible for them, putting deterrents back in place”. “If you undermine that pressure, if you undermine the confidence that the Gulf states have that the U.S. will be a partner for peace in the Middle East, we are in for a very difficult, long time”, Pompeo asserted.