Discussing U.S. interests in the Middle East, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo remarked that “one is to ensure to the maximum extent possible that terrorism doesn’t reach our shores from those places.  Second, we have clearly demarcated that we believe the primary driver of instability in the region is the Islamic Republic of Iran. They’re the world’s largest state sponsor of terror”. “They’re on a path which will put them in a place which they’ll be closer to having a capability that puts millions and millions of people at risk”, Pompeo added. He went on to state that “we’ve taken those twin imperatives. Lay over that the commercial interests that are in the straits – not only the Strait of Hormuz, but the Strait of Bosporus… this all comes together”.