28 Mar 2024


Sputnik - A visit to the Middle East is the first foreign tour of Mike Pompeo after being appointed the top US diplomat.




Saudi Arabia backs the US stance onIran and insists onexpanding sanctions againstthe country, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel Jubeir said ata joint press conference withUS Secretary ofState Mike Pompeo.
"It is necessary tointroduce new sanctions inresponse toIran's support forterrorism, its missile program and interference inthe affairs ofArab countries. We support the policy ofthe US president [Donald Trump] concerning Iran, especially withregard toamending the nuclear agreement," Jubeirpointed out.


The US state secretary, inturn, said that Tehran "destabilizes the situation inthe region:
"We will not turn a blind eye toits terrorist activities," he stressed. "If Iran fails toimprove the nuclear deal, we will withdraw fromit," Pompeo said, noting that the policy ofthe Islamic Republic "has deteriorated significantly afterthe conclusion ofthe agreement."


Pompeo also reiterated that Saudi Arabia's security remains a priority forthe United States. His statement comes amidthe intensification ofmissile strikes exchanged betweenthe kingdom and Yemeni Houthi rebels. Relations betweenSaudi Arabia and Iran, its key rival inthe region, have been tense overthe pastfew years, withRiyadh accusing Iran ofsupplying weapons, including missiles, tothe Houthi rebels inYemen, which Tehran vehemently denies.

In August 2017, Trump enacted new sanctions againstIran targeting individuals who are engaged inthe Iranian government's ballistic missile program, which "threatens Washington and its allies inthe Middle East." The US also imposed restrictions onthe Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an elite faction ofIran's military, which Washington claims is responsible forTehran's "policy ofsupporting terrorists."

Responding tothese accusations, Tehran stated that the US restrictions violated the provisions ofthe JCPOA, dubbed the Iran nuclear deal, which stipulates the gradual cancellation ofsanctions inexchange forTehran keeping its nuclear program peaceful.

In October 2017, Donald Trump announced more sanctions againstIranian entities related tothe ballistic missile program and the IRGC and apart fromthat stated that his administration had decided not tore-certify Iran's compliance withthe JCPOA. He added that the White House would work withCongress and its allies abroad tofix "many serious flaws" ofthe agreement and threatened topull the US outof the deal if the agreement is not amended.

However, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has repeatedly certified that Tehran has been fulfilling its nuclear-related commitments. Following Trumps statement, IAEA director General Yukiya Amano reiterated that "the nuclear-related commitments undertaken byIran underthe JCPOA are being implemented."

Tehran has repeatedly stated that the agreement is not subject torevision and if the US withdraws, Iran will have totake reciprocal measures.

The JCPOA was signed inJuly 2015 byIran, five permanent members ofthe UN Security Council (Russia, Britain, China, the United States, France) and Germany. The agreement stipulated the abolition ofanti-Iranian sanctions imposed bythe UN, the US and the EU overthe country's nuclear program.

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