U.S. Secretary of State to Announce Government's 'Roadmap' Regarding Iran

Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, will announce his government's diplomatic 'roadmap' regarding Iran on Monday. A senior U.S. official previously stated that the goal is to pressure Tehran to return to the negotiating table. Mr. Pompeo's speech will take place at 5:30 PM Tehran time at the Heritage Foundation, titled 'After the Nuclear Agreement; A New Strategy Regarding Iran.' Last Friday, Brian Hook, the senior political advisor of the U.S. government, stated that the Secretary of State would call for broad support from countries to confront 'the entirety of Iran's threats.' Heather Nauert, the spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, also mentioned in her press conference on May 17 that the United States would 'work hard' to form a global 'coalition' against Iran. According to Ms. Nauert, the aim of this coalition is to 'bring together a large number of countries' to view 'the Iranian regime more realistically.' Recently, Mike Pompeo expressed hope in a television interview that the United States could reach an agreement with its Western allies in the coming days and weeks that would protect the world not only from Iran's nuclear program but also from what he termed Tehran's 'bad behavior.' On Tuesday, May 8, the U.S. President officially announced that the United States would withdraw from the nuclear agreement with Iran. Donald Trump also announced the re-imposition of suspended sanctions against Tehran. Trump set four conditions for remaining in the JCPOA, which included a broader scope than the agreement made between the Obama administration, Tehran, and the five global powers: 'immediate access' for international inspectors to all sites and facilities in Iran, making restrictions on Iran's nuclear program permanent, ensuring no approach to nuclear weapons, and limiting Iran's ballistic missile program. Washington has repeatedly criticized Tehran for what it calls 'destabilizing' activities in the Middle East and other parts of the world. The Iranian Foreign Minister has emphasized that the Islamic Republic will not renegotiate the JCPOA and will not enter into negotiations with the West regarding issues such as its missile program and regional actions. Iran has also accused the United States of regularly violating the Vienna nuclear agreement even during the suspension of sanctions. Although the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear agreement is believed by many analysts to pose serious barriers to trade, finance, and commerce between Iran and other countries, the other parties to the nuclear agreement, namely France, Britain, Germany, Russia, China, and the European Union, have remained in the JCPOA. These countries have called for the preservation of the JCPOA by Tehran and stated that they are seeking solutions to ensure its continued implementation. Iranian officials and the countries involved in the nuclear agreement, except for the U.S., are currently in consultation and negotiation. Abbas Araqchi, the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister, stated that European countries have '60 days to provide the necessary guarantees regarding Iran's interests and compensate for the damages caused by the U.S. withdrawal.' Despite emphasizing the preservation of the JCPOA, the three European countries have expressed concerns about Iran's missile activities and the Islamic Republic's actions in the region, in unison with the United States.