Pompeo Supports Trump's Call for Meeting with Iranian Leaders

Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, stated hours after Donald Trump's remarks about being ready to meet with Iranian leaders without preconditions, that he supports the President's approach in this matter. On Monday, August 8, the U.S. President reiterated his willingness to meet with Iranian leaders and emphasized that there are 'no preconditions' for such a meeting. Senior officials of the Islamic Republic have not yet responded to Trump's statements. In an interview with CNBC, Pompeo said, 'We have said before. The President wants to meet with people to resolve issues.' The U.S. Secretary of State clarified that if the Iranians show a commitment to make fundamental changes in how they treat their own people, reduce their destructive behavior in the region, and agree to enter into an agreement that genuinely prevents the proliferation of nuclear weapons, then the President is ready to sit down and talk with them. He also stated, 'We are not looking for the rial to collapse, or anything else. We want a change in that regime's behavior; you cannot launch missiles at Riyadh, you cannot arm people in Iraq, Syria, and Hezbollah in Lebanon. ... This behavior from Iran is unacceptable. These are the changes we are looking for, and we hope that the Iranian regime will agree and change its behavior.' Previously, the U.S. Secretary of State had set 12 conditions for achieving a new nuclear agreement with Iran in late May. The first condition was that Iran must declare all aspects and details of its former military-nuclear program to the International Atomic Energy Agency and permanently and verifiably cease any work on this program. Another of Pompeo's conditions was that Iran must end its support for terrorist groups in the Middle East, including Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. However, Pompeo had emphasized that these conditions are 'not too demanding.' He presented these conditions after the U.S. withdrew from the nuclear agreement known as the JCPOA with Iran. On May 8, Donald Trump announced his decision to withdraw the U.S. from the JCPOA and stated that Washington would reinstate sanctions against Tehran. However, in recent weeks, the verbal conflict between the presidents of the two countries has entered a new phase. In response to Trump's remarks, Hamid Abutalebi, an advisor to the Iranian President, reacted on Twitter, stating, 'Last year at the UN General Assembly, after threatening the great nation of Iran, the issue of a meeting between the two presidents was raised; now, after the withdrawal from the JCPOA, a meeting without preconditions is mentioned! Those who believe in dialogue as a method for resolving disputes in civilized societies must also adhere to its tools.' Meanwhile, a number of political and civil activists inside and outside Iran issued a statement calling for 'direct and unconditional negotiations' between Iran and the U.S.