Iran To See 'Strongest Sanctions In History,' Mike Pompeo Vows

WASHINGTON, DC — Just weeks after President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, America's top diplomat has promised the "strongest sanctions in history" against the Middle Eastern country if it fails to enter into a new deal. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made the remark during a speech Monday in Washington.

He said Iran will have to battle to keep its economy afloat once the sanctions take effect, BBC reported.

In a tweet Monday, Pompeo said Iran cannot be allowed to get access to a nuclear weapon and ballistic missiles. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' access to resources must be "disrupted," he said.

Pompeo also accused Iran of spending money from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — the Obama-era nuclear deal — on funding "proxy wars," the IRGC, Hezbollah and Hamas. The last two have been designated foreign terrorist organizations by the State Department.

Pompeo will collaborate with the Pentagon and U.S. allies in the region to prevent what he called "Iranian aggression."

Pompeo also revealed the Trump administration's "Plan B" on Monday, which included a dozen conditions that must be met for a new deal with Iranian leaders. Among the conditions: Iran would have to remove its troops from Syria and no longer support rebels in Yemen, the BBC reported.

"We will apply unprecedented financial pressure on the Iranian regime," Pompeo said.

The U.S. Treasury has said sanctions wouldn't be immediately re-imposed, but rather would see quarterly and biannually wind-down periods.

#Iran could have used the money from #JCPOA to boost the economic fortunes of a struggling people. Instead the regime spent it fueling proxy wars & lining the pockets of #IRGC, #Hizballah & #Hamas. Iran advanced its march across the Middle East during JCPOA.
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) May 21, 2018

.@POTUS withdrew from #JCPOA for a simple reason: it failed to guarantee the safety of the American people from the risks created by #Iran’s leaders.
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) May 21, 2018

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