Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has warned that Donald Trump will reinstate his “maximum pressure” policy against Iran when he returns to office in days.
Speaking today, Pompeo expressed confidence that Trump’s tough stance on Iran would resume after January 20.
“Trump will return to office in just a few days. He has talked in detail about bringing back his maximum pressure campaign that had proved so successful,” Pompeo said.
Criticising both Democrat politicians and EU leaders for appeasing Iran’s regime and Syria’s Assad, Pompeo stated that “sitting in salons in Europe” would not continue under Trump’s presidency.
Pompeo made his remarks during a high-profile meeting with Iranian opposition leader Maryam Rajavi at the National Council of Resistance of Iran headquarters in Auvers-Sur-Oise, north of Paris.
Rajavi, who serves as President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, welcomed Pompeo before his keynote speech.
Iranian opposition leader Maryam Rajavi and Mike Pompeo
Handout
She confirmed that relentless efforts to impose maximum pressure on the Iranian regime were necessary.
“The next dictatorship that must be overthrown is the mullahs’ regime,” Rajavi declared.
Pompeo received a standing ovation for highlighting the MEK’s role as a crucial force for regime change in Iran.
Pompeo predicted further collapse of Iran’s influence, noting that Syria’s Assad was “hiding out in Russia” fearing for his life.
He pointed to significant regional shifts, stating: “In Lebanon, Hezbollah has been reduced from what was perceived as a powerful force to total impotence.”
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The former Secretary of State highlighted Hamas’s weakening position in Gaza, with its senior leadership eliminated and emphasised Syria’s rapid fall, describing it as a “paper tiger” that served as a bridge between Iranian proxy forces.
“The Ayatollah has been revealed as a complete chancer who only rules by fear, and his day is quickly coming to an end,” Pompeo declared.
Trump’s “maximum pressure” policy originated after he abandoned the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran deal.
The JCPOA, agreed between Iran and major world powers including the US, UK, China, France, Russia, and Germany, aimed to control Tehran’s nuclear ambitions through financial incentives.
Trump scrapped the agreement in 2018 after Iran showed little commitment to its terms.
Maryam Rajavi and Mike Pompeo
Handout
His “maximum pressure” strategy implemented harsh sanctions on Iran and any entities doing business with Tehran.
The policy effectively isolated Iran from the international financial system, delivering a significant blow to the Ayatollah’s regime.
The National Council of Resistance of Iran welcomed these stringent measures.
Rajavi presented her 10-point plan for Iran’s future transition during the meeting.
“New US policy, as the new administration comes in, needs to create even more space for the Iranian resistance to be vigilant on the ground,” she said.
She emphasised the importance of recognising “the National Council of Resistance of Iran as the single best alternative to the clerics that are ruling Iran.”
Pompeo expressed strong support for the resistance movement’s goals.
“This is worthy because it is going to lead to an outcome you have worked so hard for so many years,” he said, adding that “human decency will triumph” over the regime’s atrocities.
Iran’s human rights record remains concerning, with Amnesty International reporting that the country carried out 74 per cent of all recorded global executions in 2023.
The situation has intensified under new President Masoud Pezeshkian, with more than 670 executions recorded in August 2024 alone.
Among those executed were 10 women and several political dissidents.
One notable case was Reza Rasaei, who was arrested during the November 2022 uprising in Shahriar, Tehran province.
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