U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security: Ayatollahs Will Be Brought to Their Knees by Trump's Return to Maximum Pressure

Doug Burgum, the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, said on Saturday, March 4, during the third day of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), that the return of Donald Trump's 'maximum pressure' campaign will bring the ruling Ayatollahs in Iran to their knees. According to Mr. Burgum, the Iranian government has earned hundreds of billions of dollars through energy sales with the help of shadowy ships and shell companies, but Donald Trump aims to stop this. The Secretary added that Trump, by reinstating the 'maximum pressure' campaign as he did during his first term, will bring the ruling Ayatollahs in Iran to their knees. Mr. Burgum's brief reference to Iran comes at a time when the Islamic Republic's nuclear and military programs and its interventionist policies in the Middle East were central themes in the speeches of several CPAC speakers on Friday. Mark Wallace, director of the 'United Against a Nuclear Iran' organization, stated on Friday, March 3, that the Shahed-136 drone is the true face of repression and the real nature of the Iranian government. He expressed gratitude for the Polish government's assistance in transferring a downed Shahed-136 drone from Ukraine to the United States during a meeting attended by his wife, Hiwa Wallace; Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union; and his wife, Mercedes Schlapp. Mr. Wallace continued by saying that the Shahed-136 drone is a terrifying killing machine that has been used not only against Ukraine but also against Israel, the U.S., regional governments in the Middle East, and maritime activities in the Red Sea and Bab-el-Mandeb, resulting in the deaths of three American soldiers due to attacks with it. Mr. Wallace further emphasized the necessity of unity among Iranian opposition groups against the Islamic Republic. In this meeting, Matt Schlapp also stated that the goal of reinstating Trump's maximum pressure campaign is to bring the Iranian government to its knees and to remove its fangs. Regarding the Shahed-136 drone, Mr. Schlapp described it as a 'deadly machine' reminiscent of the actions of the 'brutal' and 'murderous' regime ruling Iran. Hiwa Wallace, a senior advisor to the 'United Against a Nuclear Iran' organization and of Iranian descent, stated that the Islamic Republic has not spent the money received from the previous U.S. government for the Iranian people, and that Iranians under this regime continue to suffer. According to her, the Iranian people are solely seeking to achieve their fundamental freedoms. Hiwa Wallace added that Trump's return has terrified the Iranian government, and all its proxy groups have been brought to their knees. She stated that if change is to happen, the time is now. Earlier, Michael Waltz, the U.S. National Security Advisor, emphasized that the United States is pressing its foot on the throat of the Iranian economy within the framework of the maximum pressure policy. Waltz, speaking at the CPAC, recalled that during Trump's first term, the Iranian government's economy was collapsing due to the Trump administration's maximum pressure policy. The National Security Advisor reiterated the official U.S. policy regarding the Iranian nuclear program, stating that the Islamic Republic of Iran should never acquire nuclear weapons. He also mentioned that following the terrorist attack on October 7 and subsequent Israeli attacks on the Iranian government and its proxies, Hezbollah has been severely weakened, the tyrannical regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria has been toppled, and the 'axis of terror' of the Islamic Republic in the region has been effectively disrupted. On the same day, Sebastian Gorka, senior counter-terrorism advisor at the National Security Council, criticized the previous U.S. government's approach towards the Iranian government and the delivery of 'billions of dollars' to the Islamic Republic. The large Republican conference at CPAC began on Wednesday, March 1, and will continue until Saturday, March 4.