Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is blasting the Biden administration for saying it is ready to join talks with Iran and world powers to discuss a return to the 2015 nuclear deal.
Pompeo made his comments to The Washington Free Beacon.
They came after the State Department said on Thursday that the U.S. would accept an invitation from the European Union to attend a meeting of the participants in the original nuclear agreement with Iran.
Pompeo told the Free Beacon that European nations "wanted to appease the Iranian theocracy for my entire time as secretary of state. We refused. The ayatollah understands only strength. I led a response to the Iranian threat that protected the American people from its terror and supported the Jewish state of Israel."
And he warned: "Adopting the European Union model of accommodation will guarantee Iran a path to a nuclear arsenal."
Fox News reported that Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, was also critical of the decision. He said the Biden White House needed to use sanctions as leverage to get a deal that limits Iran's aggressive actions.
"It is concerning the Biden administration is already making concessions in an apparent attempt to reenter the flawed Iran deal," he said.
Meanwhile, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., applauded the decision to restart talks with Iran. He said it was "great news and urged the U.S. to move quickly."
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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