U.S. demands wholesale changes in Iran policies post-nuke deal

WASHINGTON -- The Trump administration on Monday demanded Iran make wholesale changes in its military and regional policies or face "the strongest sanctions in history," as it sought to turn up heat on Tehran after President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from a landmark nuclear deal.

In a speech calling out Iran for a wide range of "malign activities" apart from its nuclear program, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called for the negotiation of a new deal going far beyond the single focus of the 2015 agreement and having the status of a formal treaty. The 2015 deal concluded under the Obama administration dealt only with the nuclear program and was not a treaty but rather a U.N.-endorsed executive agreement between the parties.

Unless such a treaty can be reached, Pompeo warned Iran would face tough sanctions leaving it "battling to keep its economy alive." But he laid out no strategy for convincing Iran, the other participants in the original deal -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the European Union -- or others to open such a negotiation.

"These will end up being the strongest sanctions in history by the time we are complete," Pompeo said at the conservative Heritage Foundation in his first major policy speech since taking over as top diplomat.

Pompeo vowed Trump's approach would ensure Iran would never develop a nuclear weapon. A new pact should require Iran stop enrichment of uranium, which was allowed within strict limitations under the previous deal. Iran would also have to walk away from core pillars of its foreign policy, including its involvement in Syria, Yemen, Lebanon and Afghanistan, he said.

"This list may seem long to some, but it is simply a reflection of the massive scope of Iranian malign behavior," Pompeo said. "America did not create this need for changed behavior. Iran did."

In response, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani described Pompeo's speech as unacceptable and took issue with the fact the secretary of state previously led the CIA, long demonized in Iran for its role in a 1953 coup.

"A guy who had been active in an espionage center for years now wants to make a decision for Iran and other countries from the position of a foreign minister. It is not acceptable under any circumstance," Rouhani said to a group of university teachers in Tehran. "Who are you to make a decision for Iran and the world and to tell Iran what to do and what not to do in the nuclear field?"

Pompeo did offer Iran a series of dramatic potential U.S. concessions if it agrees to make "major changes." Under a new agreement, the U.S. would be willing to lift all sanctions, restore full diplomatic and commercial ties with Iran and even support the modernization of its economy, Pompeo said.

"It is America's hope that our labors toward peace and security will bear fruit for the long-suffering people of Iran," Pompeo said.

Still, Pompeo's list of 12 requirements included many Iran is highly unlikely to consider. He said Iran must allow nuclear inspectors "unqualified access to all sites throughout the country," Pompeo said, alluding to military sites off-limits under the 2015 deal except under specific circumstances. To that end, he also said Iran must declare all previous efforts to build a nuclear weapon, reopening an issue the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency has already deemed a closed matter.

Pompeo also demanded Iran cease a range of activities throughout the Middle East drawing the ire of the U.S. and its allies. He said Iran must end support for Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen, "withdraw all forces" from Syria, halt support for its ally Hezbollah and stop threatening Israel.

Iran must also "release all U.S. citizens" missing in Iran or being held on "spurious charges," he said.

Taken together, the demands would require a complete transformation by Iran's government, and they hardened the perception the administration is really seeking regime change. A longtime Iran hawk, Pompeo has spoken positively about regime change in the past, but in his confirmation hearing last month he sought to soften that stance.

Laying out Trump's new approach Monday, Pompeo said he couldn't put a timeline on how long the strategy might take.