Pompeo threatens to 'crush' Iran with new sanctions, military force

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo threatened Iran with a string of new demands in a Monday speech, following President Trump's recent decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal.

To deter Iran from developing nuclear weapons, Pompeo said, the U.S. will impose "the strongest sanctions in history" and create military pressure. "We will track down Iranian operatives and their Hezbollah proxies operating around the world and crush them," said Pompeo. Bloomberg reports that the secretary of state listed 12 "basic requirements" that the U.S. would demand before lessening up the "sting of sanctions." Other demands included releasing Americans held captive in Iran, ceasing support for terrorist groups in the Middle East, and withdrawing military forces from Syria.

The U.S. would eventually be willing to lift Iranian sanctions in exchange for a major change in behavior, America's top diplomat added. If Tehran verifiably ended its nuclear weapons program and stopped its "destabilizing activities in the region," said Pompeo, the U.S. would consider offering "relief." Read more at Bloomberg.

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