Strongest sanctions in history: US now threatens Iran
The US on Monday threatened to apply "unprecedented" financial pressure on Iran along with other punitive measures if Tehran does not give up its reported goal of developing nuclear weapons and alleged destabilising behaviour in the region, including supporting terrorist groups.
At the same time, the Trump administration promised resumption of diplomatic and economic relations with Iran, along with financial aid, and technology transfers if Tehran agreed to a verifiable regime to give up its nuclear weapons and missile programme.
In his first major foreign policy speech, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sought the support of European allies and other global partners and friends, including India. "In the strategy we are announcing today, we want the support of our most important allies and partners in the region and around the globe. I don't just mean our friends in Europe," he said. "I mean Australia, Bahrain, Egypt, India, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, the UAE, and many, many others worldwide," Pompeo said in his address at the Heritage Foundation, a top American think-tank.
"I know we share the same goals in facing the challenge from the Iranian regime. We welcome any nation which is sick and tired of the nuclear threats, the terrorism, the missile proliferation, and the brutality of a regime at peace with inflicting chaos on innocent people," he said.
Pompeo demanded that Iran must declare to the IAEA a full account of the prior military dimensions of its nuclear programme, and permanently and verifiably abandon such work in perpetuity. Iran, he said, must stop uranium enrichment and never pursue plutonium reprocessing including closing its heavy water reactor.