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Intel: Why Iran is shrugging off Pompeo’s speech

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to students at the American University in Cairo, Egypt, January 10, 2019. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool via REUTERS - RC15D1E44B00

Iran has reacted to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s speech in Cairo with both ridicule and disdain, with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warning against taking seriously anything coming out of the Donald Trump administration — whether threats or promises. 

Why it matters: In explaining his perception of the Middle East, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo portrayed Iran as the root of all evil, promising intensified punishment for the Islamic Republic until it abandons its nuclear and missile programs as well as its present foreign policy priorities. Pompeo stated, "America's economic sanctions against the Iranian regime are the strongest in history and will keep getting tougher. Until Iran starts behaving like a normal country, the 12 demands that we stated in May will remain in force because the threat to the region endures."

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