Mike Pompeo: Iranian Rulers Are Among the Worst Terrorists in the World

On Sunday, January 13, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in an interview with CBS, referred to the Iranian rulers as "among the worst terrorists in the world" in connection with the arrest of an American citizen in Iran. In the interview with Margaret Brennan on the program "Face the Nation," Pompeo stated that Iranian leaders "show no respect for human rights, and for this reason, the current U.S. administration has adopted a hardline approach against this regime." The U.S. State Department confirmed last week that Michael White, a 46-year-old citizen who previously served in the U.S. Navy, has been arrested in Iran, but did not provide details. Bahram Qasemi, the spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, stated that the news of the American's arrest was communicated to Washington through the U.S. Interests Section. The New York Times reported, citing Michael White's mother, that he had become acquainted with an Iranian girl online and had traveled to Iran three times, and he has been imprisoned in Mashhad since mid-summer this year. CBS asked Pompeo about the Trump administration's hardline policy towards Iran since taking office, exiting the nuclear deal, and emphasizing that it would address threats from Iran, yet the regime continues to arrest American citizens, with White's arrest being the latest case, indicating that the Trump administration has been unable to prevent the hostage-taking of Americans. Pompeo criticized U.S. policy during the 2009 protests in Iran, stating that the Trump administration has "proudly" worked for the freedom of Americans worldwide but cannot disclose details of ongoing efforts regarding White's case, assuring the American people that ensuring the safety and health of citizens around the world is a top priority for the government. He noted that such behaviors from Iran are among the reasons the U.S. emphasized that the JCPOA was a "terrible" idea. When asked if the Trump administration might consider a prisoner swap with Iran, he stated that they do not discuss such matters. White's mother expressed a desire for the government to negotiate with Iran for her son's release. However, Pompeo stated that he has "deep sympathy for these American families whose loved ones are mistakenly imprisoned anywhere in the world" and that the U.S. "uses every effort, every day, to secure their freedom and employs all its diplomatic tools worldwide to bring men and women back home." He added, "We do the same regarding Iran and use every means available; we are committed to this, and the current U.S. administration has had good successes in this area and hopes for more successes." In addition to Michael White, who does not have Iranian heritage, several Iranian-American citizens, including Siamak and Baqer Namazi, as well as others like Nizar Zakka of Lebanese descent and Zhi Wang of Chinese origin, are imprisoned in Iran. Jason Rezaian, an American journalist born to an Iranian father, who was released from Iranian prison three years ago, recently emphasized in a court in Washington while seeking one billion dollars in damages from the Iranian government that he and others were not prisoners but hostages held by the Islamic Republic for the regime's desired transactions. On January 16, 2016, on the day that Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's foreign minister, was to announce the implementation of the JCPOA with his then-American counterpart John Kerry in Vienna, Rezaian, along with Amir Mirzaei Hekmati, a former American soldier, Saeed Abedini, and Nasratollah Khosravi, were released, and in return, the U.S. also released seven Iranian prisoners from American jails. Pompeo, during his trip to eight Arab countries in the Middle East that began last week, participated in an interview with CBS from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Continuing his regional travels, he attended the second "U.S.-Qatar Strategic Affairs" conference alongside his Qatari counterpart, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. Evaluations suggest that Pompeo attempted to position Qatar as a player in the coalition against Iran during the Doha negotiations; however, the extent of his success in this goal remains unclear, as does the effectiveness of his efforts to resolve the disputes between Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Pompeo has since traveled to Saudi Arabia.