During a Monday interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo railed against President Joe Biden for continuing United States-Russia negotiations with Iran to revive the Iran nuclear deal.
Pompeo called the decision to give Iran money and allow the country the capacity to produce and send oil to Russia as it invades Ukraine “nutty” and “incomprehensible.” He argued Russia “should be locked out of every international institution.”
“[B]efore I go to the specifics, at the same time that we’re trying to deter Russia and get them to go back, we’re dealing with the Iranians. And if this administration does a deal with the Iranians right now, it will be appeasement on steroids. We should be shunning those talks because, of course, Iran and Russia are in bed with Xi. And you’re off to Taiwan this week. Is there any way you foresee the Biden administration doing a deal with Iran against this backdrop?” Hewitt asked.
“You know, I put out a note last night,” Pompeo replied. “Today in Vienna, the United States was at a negotiating table. At that negotiating table, we were sitting on the same side of the table with the Russians and the Chinese against Iran. That’s nutty to give Iran money, the capacity to produce its crude oil and ship it to Russia at a time when Vladimir Putin is invading Ukraine. To sit on the same side of the table with them is disgusting. It is despicable. And it’s an enormous geostrategic mistake to give Iran this capacity. It’ll put America and Israel at risk.”
“What message does it send to the rest of the adversaries – China, Iran, that we are doing that?” Hewitt followed up. “It is almost unbelievable that we would do that. Pathetic, but also unbelievable.”
“Look, it tells other countries, too, the European nations, nations in the Middle East and in Africa, it says look, you can work with Russia in certain places, too,” Pompeo stated. “We’re doing it on something that we care about. We want to give Iran a nuclear weapon. We want to set them on a pathway to a nuclear program. We’ll work with them there. They should be locked out of every international institution. And we certainly shouldn’t be negotiating alongside them against the Ayatollah. You know this.”
He continued, “As a strategic matter, China, Iran, Russia have enormous shared interests in moving military weapon systems around the world. And Iran will provide enormous support for the Russians. To think that they’re winking at each other, looking at each other across the table with the Americans sitting on the side with the Russians? It’s incomprehensible to me, Hugh.”
Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent