JERUSALEM— ‘’President Trump’s been pretty clear: this deal is very flawed. He’s directed the administration to try and fix it, and if we can’t fix it, he’s going to withdraw from the deal,’’ said newly appointed U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.
He added :’’ Unlike the past administration, President Trump has a comprehensive Iran strategy that is designed to counter the full array of threats emanating from Tehran.’’
‘’As part of the President’s comprehensive Iran strategy, we are also working to counter the broad set of non-nuclear threats: Iran’s missile systems, its support for Hezbollah, the importation of thousands of proxy fighters into Syria and its assistance to the Houthi rebels in Yemen. We look forward to working closely with strong allies like Israel in countering these threats and rolling back the full range of Iranian malign influence.’’
Pompeo, a former director of the CIA, was sworn in last Thursday and then left immediately on a diplomatic trip which first took him to NATO headquarters in Brussels where he met the Atlantic Alliance Foreign Ministers. Before travelling to Israel, he visited Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
He noted that the Trump administration had not made a final decision on whether to leave the Iranian nuclear deal and reinstate sanctions on Iran, a decision that must be taken by May 12.
“Absent a substantial fix, absent overcoming the shortcomings, the flaws of the deal, he is unlikely to stay in that deal past this May,” Pompeo said, however.
The EU has tried to persuade Trump to stay in the deal because European governments even though they know that there might be flaws, they say that ‘’the current deal is better than no deal.’’
Netanyahu hailed Pompeo as ‘’a true friend of Israel, a true friend of the Jewish people.’’
The new Secretary of State said ‘’we are incredibly proud to be opening the new embassy on May 14th, well ahead of the original timetable.’’
‘’This step comes as Israel celebrates its 70th anniversary of independence, and 70 years of recognition and steadfast support for Israel from the American people as well. By recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the seat of its government, we’re recognizing reality,’’ he said.
He added, ‘’I also stress that President Trump has said in December the boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem remain subject to negotiations between the parties, and we remain committed to achieving a lasting and comprehensive peace that offers a brighter future for both Israel and the Palestinians.’’
