U.S. Secretary of State to Speak on Iran

Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, will deliver a speech early Monday morning Tehran time at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California, to a gathering of Iranian Americans. Prior to the speech, he tweeted: "We support the proud people of Iran in their struggle for freedom, justice, and respect for human rights." A U.S. State Department official stated that Mr. Pompeo would discuss "supporting the legitimate demands of the Iranian people, particularly their economic demands for a better life," and would also address the recent U.S. campaign for maximum economic pressure and the diplomatic isolation of the Iranian government. The U.S. Secretary of State has previously referred to issues such as the economic situation, human rights, Iran's actions in the West Asia region, and what Washington calls the "use of national wealth" in proxy wars or support for militias. He had previously shared a chart showing the number of detainees in Iran over the past year, indicating that the number of arrests had increased several times from December 2016 to December 2017. Referring to the wave of arrests in Iran, including five thousand during the nationwide protests last December, 30 women during protests against compulsory hijab, hundreds of Sufis, dozens of environmental activists, 400 people in Ahvaz, and 30 farmers in Isfahan, he stated: "All of these have been imprisoned by the criminal regime of Iran. The people of Iran have the right to be respected for their human rights." Pompeo pointed to a 30% unemployment rate among Iranian youth and the economic difficulties faced by families, accusing the Islamic Republic of plundering national wealth for proxy wars and enriching the IRGC, Hezbollah, and Hamas. He described the protests in Iran as a result of the "corruption" of the Islamic Republic and "injustice," asserting that the world has heard the voices of protesting Iranians. Officials in the Trump administration have called for the Islamic Republic to change its behavior. After Donald Trump's withdrawal from the nuclear agreement, the United States set 12 conditions for reaching a new agreement with Iran, including halting uranium enrichment, shutting down heavy water facilities, stopping the ballistic missile program, and ceasing support for Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Iran, protesting the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA, has not yet agreed to new negotiations with Washington. Tehran claims it is not seeking to build nuclear weapons and that its missile program is defensive. The Islamic Republic has rejected U.S. accusations of supporting terrorism or interfering in the affairs of regional countries, and has leveled similar accusations against U.S. allies in West Asia. Iran describes groups like Hezbollah as "resistance" groups. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani accused the U.S. yesterday of pursuing goals beyond sanctions with its policy of sanctions against Iran, warning: "Enemies must understand well that war with Iran is the mother of all wars, and peace with Iran is the mother of all peace, and we have never feared threats and will respond to threats with threats." Mr. Pompeo stated on July 22 that "when I talk about the world's anger (against Iran), I mean the moral outrage and the economic pressure that will be imposed on them. I mean this. I am not talking about military action here. I truly hope that such an issue never occurs. It is not in anyone's interest."