Pompeo: I look forward to meeting with Iranian Americans

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrote on Twitter on Thursday, July 19, that he was looking forward to speaking to Iranian-Americans in California.

The US Secretary of State is scheduled to speak at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California, on July 22.

Mike Pompeo wrote on his Twitter account: "We support the proud people of Iran in their fight for freedom, justice, and respect for human rights."

According to a senior US State Department official, some US lawmakers, including Ed Royce and Tom Cotton, are also expected to accompany Mike Pompeo to the meeting.

A US State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said on Thursday that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will address issues including the approaching 40th anniversary of the 1979 revolution, corruption, and pressure on religious minorities in his speech.

Regarding the ban on Iranians traveling to the United States, the State Department official said: “…We look forward to the day when the Iranian regime meets our national and public security standards, and then we can review this restriction and find ways to allow legitimate travel to the United States.”

Referring to the Donald Trump administration's strategy in confronting Iran, he said: "If Iran changes its behavior and acts like a normal country, we have put on the table for them the possibility of a 'treaty' relationship with the United States."

According to the official, US State Department Secretary Mike Pompeo will also speak at the meeting about "supporting the legitimate aspirations of the Iranian people, especially their economic aspirations for a better life," and will also address the recent US campaign of maximum economic pressure and diplomatic isolation of the Iranian regime.

Regarding those invited to this meeting and the invitation from the Mojahedin Organization, this senior US State Department official said that he was not aware of this issue, but he did not think that this invitation had been made.

Meanwhile, Politico, in a report on the US Secretary of State's meeting with the Iranian community in California, wrote that there is no consensus among Iranians about participating in this meeting.

The publication writes that many Iranian Americans enjoy a high level of education and prosperity and are generally dissatisfied with the Iranian government, but they do not agree on this meeting and Donald Trump's policies.

According to the publication, while groups such as the People's Mojahedin of Iran have supported the US withdrawal from the JCPOA, there are also many Iranians who oppose the US withdrawal from the JCPOA and believe that the sanctions are putting pressure on ordinary Iranians.

According to the newspaper, one of the major concerns of Iranians in the United States is the travel ban on citizens of several predominantly Muslim countries, which has affected Iranians the most.

The publication adds that there are those who oppose the policies of the current US administration but nevertheless welcome direct communication between the government and the Iranian American community.

Politico writes that the list of invitees has not yet been announced, and the People's Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization has not responded to this publication regarding the possible presence of its representatives.

According to this publication, the office of Reza Pahlavi, the son of Mohammad Reza Shah, also responded by saying that he was aware of this meeting and that Reza Pahlavi was a "supporter and encourager" of such talks.

Source: Radio Farda