The ISIS caliphate is gone, but there are still places in the Middle East where the terror group is "more powerful today than they were three or four years ago," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday.
"The caliphate is gone, but there's a risk from al Qaeda, other radical Islamic terrorist groups," Pompeo said on "CBS This Morning."
He added that the situation is "complicated," but the ISIS "caliphate is gone in their capacity to conduct external attacks, it's been made much more difficult. We've taken down significant risk. Not all of it, but a significant amount. We're very pleased with the work that we've done. President [Donald] Trump's been focused on this. We executed a plan with 80 other countries to defeat ISIS. We were successful."
The New York Times reported Tuesday that five months after ISIS was removed from Syria, the terrorists are again gaining strength and conducting attacks across Iraq and Syria and targeting new recruits.
He also commented about the ongoing situation with Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, after top Iranian officials are warning that there will be grave consequences if the United States takes action there.
"The good news is we are acting with wisdom," said Pompeo. "It's wisdom to have withdrawn from the JCPOA that would put them on the path to a nuclear weapon. President Trump is determined to not let that happen."
The United States has also enacted a set of sanctions that are denying the Iranian regime its wealth and leaving less money to fund Hezbollah and other proxy forces, said Pompeo.
"The previous administration wrote them a big check, sent across the pile of cash, and opened up the Iranian economy so they could continue to grow their terror campaign across the world," said Pompeo "We'll never let that happen."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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