WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussing strategy on Iran (all times local):
9:30 a.m.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is offering a series of dramatic potential U.S. concessions to Iran if it agrees to make “major changes.”
Pompeo on Monday called for a stronger nuclear agreement with Iran following the U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 deal.
He says if a deal was reached that satisfies the Trump administration, the U.S. would be willing to lift all economic sanctions. He says the U.S. would restore full diplomatic and commercial ties with Iran and allow it to access advanced technology.
Pompeo says the U.S. would even support the modernization of Iran’s economy and help it reintegrate into the global financial system.
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9:15 a.m.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is threatening to place “the strongest sanctions in history” on Iran if its government doesn’t change course.
Pompeo on Monday called for a new nuclear agreement with Iran following President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal. He says the Trump administration prefers for it to be a treaty that is ratified by Congress.
Pompeo is laying out an onerous list of 12 “basic requirements” demands on Iran that he says should be included. He says Iran must “stop enrichment” of uranium and never preprocess plutonium. Iran must also allow nuclear “unqualified access to all sites throughout the country.”
Pompeo says Iran must also “release all U.S. citizens,” end support for Houthi rebels in Yemen, “withdraw all forces” from Syria and stop threatening Israel.
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9:05 a.m.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the Iran nuclear deal was “a loser” with huge repercussions throughout the Middle East.
Pompeo is defending President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the 2015 deal during a speech Monday at the conservative Heritage Foundation. He’s laying out the Trump administration’s strategy for ramping up pressure on Iran in hopes of securing a better deal.
Pompeo says Iran “advanced its march across the Middle East” since the 2015 deal was enacted. He says the Obama administration “made a bet” that Iran would stop rogue actions and adhere to global norms.
Pompeo says Trump withdrew because the deal failed to guarantee Americans safety from the risks posed by Iran. He says the deal “put the world at risk because of its fatal flaws.”
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8:40 a.m.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is laying out the Trump administration’s strategy for constraining Iran’s nuclear program and opposing its other behavior in the region following President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal.
Pompeo will present the approach during a speech Monday at the conservative Heritage Foundation. It’s Pompeo’s first major policy speech since starting as top U.S. diplomat.
The speech comes a week after Trump announced he was pulling out of the deal struck by President Barack Obama, Iran and world powers. Europeans allies had pleaded with Trump not to scuttle that deal.
Pompeo is expected to call for those same allies and other nations to join the U.S. in ramping up pressure on Iran in hopes of securing what Trump has described as a “better deal.”
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