(
MENAFN- Asia Times)
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, for the first time, outlined Washington's new Iran policy in detail on Monday morning, threatening to put 'unprecedented' pressure on the country, unless a long list of demands is met.
'We will apply unprecedented financial pressure on the Iranian regime. The leaders in Iran will have no doubt about our seriousness,' Pompeo said, speaking at the Heritage Foundation. 'Thanks to our colleagues at the Department of Treasury, sanctions are going back into full effect and new ones are coming.'
'These will, indeed, end up being the strongest sanction in history, when we are complete,' he stressed.
'The Iranian regime should know that this is just the beginning. The sting of sanctions will be painful if the regime does not change its course from the unacceptable and unproductive path it has chosen.'
The secretary emphasized that the administration has no plans to renegotiate the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, before enumerating a list of 12 demands that must be met in exchange for waving of sanctions.
Pompeo lists the demands, paraphrased below, at 18:30 in the video released by the State Department, embedded under the list.
Iran must:
Declare to IAEA full account of prior military dimensions of its nuclear program – and permanently abandon them; Iran must stop enrichment and never pursue plutonium reprocessing – this includes closing its heavy water reactor; Provide IAEA with unqualified access to all sites throughout the entire country; End proliferation of ballistic missiles and cease further launching or development of nuclear-capable missile systems; Release all us citizens as well as those of partners and allies; End support of me terrorist groups including Hezbollah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad; Must respect the sovereignty of Iraqi gov't – permit disarming and demobilization of Shi'a militia End support for Houthi militia and work toward a peaceful settlement in Yemen Withdraw all forces under Iranian command throughout the entirety of Syria End support for Taliban and cease harboring senior al Qaeda leaders End Qud support for terrorists End threatening behavior against behavior including threats to destroy Israel The daily<> Must-reads from across Asia - directly to your inbox <> <> <> <> Asia Unhedged Iran nuclear deal Iran Iran sanctions Middle East Mike Pompeo US Iran policy Comments
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