Pompeo voices firmness of Trump’s Iran policies

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday defended his tour of

Gulf Arab states and the Trump administration’s continued efforts to squeeze Iran, even as a new U.S. administration led by Joe Biden prepares to enter the White House in January.

Pompeo sat down with the Saudi-owned broadcaster Al-arabiya in Dubai for brief televised remarks Sunday.

“Our policies don’t change. Our duty doesn’t change. My responsibilities don’t change,” he said. “I still have an obligation every hour, every minute to defend the American people and to keep them foremost in our efforts, and we’ll do that. We’ll do that to the very last minute.”

In what was likely his final tour of the Persian Gulf as secretary of state, he touted the Trump administration’s Middle East strategy, which focused on Iran as “the central threat inside the region” and was marked by a maximum-pressure campaign that hampered Iran’s ability to support militias in Iraq, Lebanon and Syria.

“It’ll be our policy until our time is complete,” he said.

Biden has said he wants to return to rapprochement with Iran. Analysts say Biden is expected to be more willing to engage the Iranians, although he’s likely to press Tehran on its missile program and not just its nuclear program.

Pompeo was scheduled to travel to Saudi Arabia late Sunday to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman before heading back to Washington.