Iranian-Americans' accounts of meeting with Mike Pompeo in Texas
The US State Department's Persian Twitter page posted a video of Iranian-Americans meeting with Mike Pompeo last Monday. In the video, those present at the meeting express their opinions about the meeting.
On Monday, April 16, after returning from a four-day trip to South America, Mike Pompeo had a private meeting with a group of Iranian-Americans in Dallas, Texas.
The US Secretary of State, after meeting with a group of Iranian-Americans, said the United States will always stand with the Iranian people. They deserve better.
Details of the meeting were not released, but Mr. Pompeo tweeted Monday night Washington time: “I enjoyed meeting with a group of remarkable and accomplished Iranian-Americans in Dallas. We discussed the designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization – effective today – and the regime’s 40 years of neglect of the needs of the Iranian people.”
Enjoyed meeting with an impressive group of Iranian-Americans in Dallas. Discussed the IRGC designation as terrorists—which goes into effect today—and the regime's 40 years of disregard for the people's needs. The US will always stand with the Iranian people. They deserve better. pic.twitter.com/ToCz72nqDp
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) April 15, 2019
This is Mr. Pompeo's second meeting with Iranian-Americans.
Fox News also mentioned Mr. Pompeo's meeting with Iranians in part of its Monday report, writing that the US Secretary of State, in response to reporters after the meeting, said that on the day the IRGC was designated a terrorist group, "I wanted to be with this group of Iranians to hear their views on the impact of our policy on the lives of the Iranian people and how we hope our policy will lead to a change in the nature and behavior of the Islamic Republic and its leadership."
According to the US State Department website, the US Secretary of State also told reporters after a meeting with a group of Iranians: "There was a huge flood in Iran, but the Iranian leaders continue to export terrorism. In fact, they are using their dollars to support Maduro, while the people of their own country are suffering."
Last year, the US Secretary of State met with a group of Iranians in Los Angeles.
The current US administration, criticizing the Obama administration, says it wants maximum pressure on the Islamic Republic to change its behavior. The US says the Islamic Republic is indifferent to the rights of its people and spends the country's budget on supporting terrorist groups instead of spending them.
US concerns over Islamic Republic's actions and further pressure
The United States says the nuclear deal with Iran has not had a positive impact on the country's behavior. President Trump ordered the reimposition of nuclear sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran on two occasions, in August and November of last year.
The United States says the Islamic Republic is the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism, continues its ballistic missile program in violation of Security Council Resolution 2231, and is a destabilizing factor in the Middle East. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is in charge of Iran's missile program.
In recent months, several plots by individuals affiliated with the Islamic Republic to assassinate political opponents in Europe were also discovered, leading to diplomatic action by France, Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands against the Iranian regime.
Iran's missile tests had previously met with reactions from Western countries, who had repeatedly called on the Islamic Republic to stop producing and testing these missiles.
In recent years, Iran has conducted missile tests, some of which were emblazoned with the slogan "Destruction of Israel" in various languages (including Hebrew).
On June 1, 2018, when announcing the new US strategy towards Iran, the US Secretary of State listed 12 US conditions for an agreement with the Islamic Republic, which are in fact a list of US demands from the Islamic Republic, or in other words, details of the Iranian regime's change in behavior.
Some of these conditions include stopping support for terrorism and refraining from destructive actions in the region, such as supporting Lebanon's Hezbollah and interfering in regional countries.
Source: Voice of America
