‘Nuclear plan B’: how the US intends to confront Iran
Mike Pompeo threatens ‘strongest sanctions in history’ and hints of long-term regime change
Mike Pompeo has used his first big speech as US Secretary of State to set out the Trump administration’s ‘Plan B’ for dealing with Iran following its decision to withdraw from the 2015 multilateral nuclear deal.
Speaking at the conservative Heritage Foundation policy group in Washington, the former CIA director said the US would never allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon and would impose the “strongest sanctions in history” to force the regime to submit to its demands.
What will change?
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“The sting of sanctions will be painful if the regime does not change its course from the unacceptable and unproductive path it has chosen to one that rejoins the league of nations,” Pompeo said.
Among what Al Jazeera has called an “onerous” list of 12 “basic requirements” the regime must sign up to, Pompeo insisted Iran must stop developing ballistic missiles, release Americans currently held in prisons in the country, and stop support of militant and terrorist groups in the Middle East and beyond.
He also crucially called for a ban on a heavy-water reactor, which is the most basic way to develop nuclear energy, says CNBC.
Is there any incentive for Iran?
While the harsh rhetoric was aimed squarely at leaders in Tehran, he also offered an olive branch to the Iranian people, saying that unlike previous administration, “The United States believe you deserve better”.
Pompeo pointed to the administration’s ongoing nuclear negotiations with North Korea as a model for a new agreement with Iran, with administration officials saying the plan is to assemble a global coalition to pressure Iran into negotiations on “a new security architecture” that goes beyond its nuclear programme.
Will it work?
“It is certainly tough but may be totally unrealistic” says the BBC’s Jonathan Marcus, arguing that “for sanctions to work they must be comprehensive”, but “compelling allies and other countries to abandon trade with Iran risks damaging a whole series of wider diplomatic relationships”.
Despite overtures to the Iranian people and paying lip-service to a continued diplomatic dialogue with the regime “many former officials, foreign diplomats and analysts are sceptical, both of the chances a broader pact can come together, and of the administration's interest in diplomacy with Iran” says CNN.
Is there an ulterior motive?
Many claim the real objective of the White House is to force Iran to pull back from regional activities in Syria and the Yemen, and ultimately push for regime change within Iran.
Trump’s new National Security Adviser John Bolton has previously advocated overthrowing Iran’s government.
Other have warned the new US approach is a hugely destabilising move, with CNN saying that “regardless of the administration's goals, the chances of miscalculation, especially with Israel and Saudi Arabia urging Trump to confront Tehran, are high”.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Why are home insurance prices going up?
Today's Big Question Climate-driven weather events are raising insurers' costs
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
'All too often, we get caught up in tunnel vision'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
2024: the year of legacy media failures
In the Spotlight From election criticism to continued layoffs, the media has had it rough in 2024
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK Published
-
Romania's election rerun
The Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Russia's shadow war in Europe
Talking Point Steering clear of open conflict, Moscow is slowly ratcheting up the pressure on Nato rivals to see what it can get away with.
By The Week UK Published
-
Cutting cables: the war being waged under the sea
In the Spotlight Two undersea cables were cut in the Baltic sea, sparking concern for the global network
By The Week UK Published
-
The nuclear threat: is Vladimir Putin bluffing?
Talking Point Kremlin's newest ballistic missile has some worried for Nato nations
By The Week UK Published
-
Russia vows retaliation for Ukrainian missile strikes
Speed Read Ukraine's forces have been using U.S.-supplied, long-range ATCMS missiles to hit Russia
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Cuba's energy crisis
The Explainer Already beset by a host of issues, the island nation is struggling with nationwide blackouts
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published