Pompeo’s remarks reveal US strategy
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s recent trip to Egypt aims to implement US President Donald Trump’s Middle East policies and calls for a joint force against Iran with its allies, experts said after his speech in Cairo.
Pompeo vowed on Thursday that the United States and its allies would work diplomatically to “expel every last Iranian boot” from Syria.
He said the US will “use diplomacy” and work with partners to curb Iran’s influence in the Middle East region, according to Xinhua.
“The US is working with partners in the region and beyond to stop malign activity by Iran and its proxies in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and elsewhere,” he said.
Niu Song, a researcher from the Middle East Studies Institute at Shanghai International Studies University, said Pompeo’s speech in Cairo is a continuation of Trump’s policy on Iran.
“From the US withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear agreement to reimposing economic sanctions, it’s very obvious that the Trump administration has a hostile attitude toward the Iranian government,” he said. “Although delayed, the withdrawal from Syria is also a way Trump uses to focus on dealing with Iran.”
Niu said Pompeo’s visit is to implement Trump’s Middle East policy, appease the allies, and further integrate them to form a joint force against Iran.
Mohamed Mohsen Aboul-Nour, founder and chief of the Arab Forum for Analyzing Iranian Policies, said Pompeo’s words about Iran were anticipated because “most of his recent speeches focused on demonizing Iran and mobilizing partners against its policies”.
However, Aboul-Nour said Iran’s influence cannot be undermined easily as it managed to create non-Iranian militias in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
“Iran is not going to lose any military confrontation in these countries. Iran is also present in these countries at their governments’ request, so its presence in these countries is legal under international law,” he said.
Meanwhile, Niu said the longterm impact of Trump’s Middle East policy on Iran has not yet emerged, but Iran has indeed slowed its pace of expansion.
“It is difficult for Iran to avoid tough situations, especially when the US presses its European allies tremendously and has a strong willingness to integrate its allies in the Middle East,” he said.
The European Union decided on Tuesday to impose sanctions on an Iranian intelligence agency and two officials for the first time since 2015, and Niu said Iran has always regarded the EU as an important buffer between the US and itself, and the alignment with the US will narrow Iran’s room for maneuver among major powers.
“But there are still differences within the EU, and Russia is another power for Iran to balance the US,” he added.
In Pompeo’s speech, the former Central Intelligence Agency director roundly criticized former US president Barack Obama for “fundamental misunderstandings” about the region.