Pompeo orders U.S. diplomats to refrain from meeting Iranian opposition groups without permission

The Trump administration has maintained they want to avoid a full-scale conflict with Iran, and supporters of President Trump's decision to kill Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Iraq last week have argued the airstrike was part of a larger strategy of deterrence.

Many folks are still on edge and worried Washington paved the way for further escalation, but a cable sent by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to U.S. diplomats reportedly shows the State Department is still open to solving the Iran crisis with words. In the cable, which was received by all U.S. missions, Pompeo ordered officials not to meet with Iranian opposition groups without permission since it could harm Washington's diplomatic efforts with Tehran, Bloomberg reports.

One of the groups on the to-avoid list is reportedly the MEK, which has paid people like Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and former National Security Adviser John Bolton thousands of dollars for speaking engagements. Tim O'Donnell

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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.

Sign up