CIA Director's Statements on Trump's Approach to Iran

Mike Pompeo, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), stated on Thursday that Iran should be aware that the new U.S. administration is prepared to take actions that differ from Washington's policies towards Tehran in recent years. Speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, Pompeo responded to a question regarding the Iran nuclear agreement (JCPOA), saying, "I prefer not to discuss their compliance with the agreement and would rather provide my report to the President and let him speak on this matter." According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies website, he added: "You may know that we are engaged in many activities to provide information to the President to ensure he has the necessary information on which areas the Iranians are compliant with the JCPOA and which areas they are likely not compliant with." Iran, along with the U.S., Russia, China, France, the UK, and Germany, reached an agreement in July 2015 to limit Tehran's nuclear activities, which was implemented in January 2016, during which many international sanctions against Iran were suspended or lifted. The CIA Director emphasized that, in light of what happened in Syria, we must all be cautious and revisit the JCPOA to see how declared and undeclared Iranian nuclear sites are defined and understand the level and manner of access the International Atomic Energy Agency has to these two categories of nuclear sites. He further addressed the U.S. missile strike on Syria, stating: "What I mean is that this (the missile strike on Syria) was a decisive and considered decision-making process that was truly based on a real understanding of the geopolitical importance of the issues our nation faces today." Pompeo asserted that someone has violated the chemical weapons ban, which is not insignificant. Therefore, I believe the Iranians should pay attention to the reality that this administration is ready to take actions that differ from U.S. actions in recent years. Last week, President Donald Trump ordered a missile strike on a Syrian base in response to a chemical attack that left dozens dead. In this strike, 59 Tomahawk missiles were fired at the "Shayrat" airbase in Homs province. In another part of his remarks, Pompeo referred to Iran's expanding influence through support for Hezbollah (Lebanon), Shia militias in Iraq, and Houthi militants (in Yemen), stating: "The list of Iran's aggressive actions has significantly increased since the JCPOA." However, the CIA Director noted that Gulf countries and European nations will cooperate with the U.S. to counter Iran's threats.