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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Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.
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