Pompeo: Trump Will Have a Special Tone Regarding Iran

One day before Donald Trump's speech at the opening of the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated on Monday, October 2, that the pressure on Iran to abandon actions that contradict stability is intensifying. Pompeo, along with John Bolton, the White House National Security Advisor, and Nikki Haley, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, attended a press conference in New York. During the conference, looking ahead to the topics that will be addressed in Trump's speech on Tuesday, Pompeo mentioned that the speech will have a 'special' tone regarding Iran. He described the Islamic Republic of Iran as 'the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism' but, like Bolton, stated that the U.S. goal is to exert pressure on Iran to cease actions that contradict stability. Pompeo also noted that the Trump administration began its work while Iran had control over parts of the Middle East, and changes in Iraq were influenced by 'Ayatollah (Ali Khamenei) and Qassem Soleimani (commander of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards),' but he expressed hope that Iraq would have a national government. John Bolton also stated that Washington's goal is not regime change in Iran but rather changing Iran's behavior and actions. Bolton made these remarks during a press conference in New York in response to a question regarding comments made by Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump's personal attorney, who had stated on September 22 at a gathering of the 'Organization of Iranian Communities in America,' which was apparently mainly organized by the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran, that the Mojahedin could be a powerful alternative to the Islamic Republic of Iran. However, Bolton reminded that Donald Trump has emphasized the necessity of changing Iran's behavior. The National Security Advisor also mentioned that the U.S. will not leave Syria until Iranian military forces withdraw. These three senior officials highlighted Washington's positions on various global issues, including Iran, North Korea, and Syria, ahead of Trump's speech at the UN. Pompeo also emphasized that UN Security Council sanctions on North Korea remain in place and that Pyongyang's commitment to denuclearization must be implemented in an 'irreversible' manner. Trump himself emphasized on Monday upon arriving in New York that his administration is preparing for a second meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after receiving another letter from him. Nikki Haley stated that President Trump will host several world leaders on Tuesday along with Vice President Mike Pence. Trump will speak at the General Assembly on Tuesday; this will be his second speech at the UN but his first appearance since the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA, the nuclear agreement with Iran, on August 6 of this year. Given that the U.S. is the rotating president of the Security Council this month, Trump will also preside over a rare Security Council event on Wednesday, October 4, including discussions related to Iran, although it is still unclear at what level Iran will participate in this Security Council meeting. Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, who arrived in New York on Sunday night to attend the General Assembly, will speak shortly after Trump's speech on Tuesday. Despite setting 12 conditions for changing Iran's behavior in various areas, the U.S. has emphasized its readiness to negotiate with the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran, even at the level of Donald Trump with Ali Khamenei, the leader of Iran, including with the aim of reaching a comprehensive agreement regarding Iran's nuclear program and missile weapons; this has faced repeated rejection from Iran. This year's simultaneous presence of the U.S. and Iranian presidents at the United Nations comes as less than six weeks remain until the next round of crippling U.S. sanctions against Iran is implemented. The National Security Advisor stated on Sunday that in addition to the sanctions that will be imposed from November 4, Washington is also prepared to plan for further sanctions, but did not provide more details. Fears of 'reducing Iran's oil exports to zero' after November 4, along with the practical results of the first round of sanctions that were implemented against Iran from August 6, have pushed Iran's economic and financial situation to the brink of serious collapse; the value of the Iranian currency has significantly plummeted to over 16,000 tomans against each U.S. dollar, and signs of commodity shortages and worsening daily life, especially food for Iranian families, have emerged.