US sets up action group to press Iran

WASHINGTON - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has announced a new high-level team to focus efforts to increase diplomatic and economic pressure on Iran.

The Iran Action Group will drive Washington's "maximum pressure" strategy to change Teheran's behavior, including potentially sanctioning other countries which trade with the country.

The group will be headed by Brian Hook as the State Department's special representative for Iran.

Hook, currently director of policy planning at the department, was in charge of the failed effort to get support from US allies for Washington's decision in May to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal.

"Our hope is that one day soon we can reach a new agreement with Iran. But we must see major changes in the regime's behavior both inside and outside its borders," Pompeo said.

The United States has laid out a long list of activities it demands Teheran changes, including halting support for the Syrian government and the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, shutting down its nuclear development program, and freeing detained US citizens.

"This team is committed to a strong global effort to change the Iranian regime's behavior," Hook said.

"We want to be closely synchronized with our allies and partners around the world."

Hook, who met officials from the United Kingdom, France and Germany on Iran policy in London on Wednesday, held out the possibility of the US engaging directly with Iranian leaders if they demonstrate a "commitment" to changing their behavior.

But he was not specific on what would be the minimum required to make that impression.

He also said that Washington is stepping up its effort to get other countries to fall in line with economic pressure on Teheran, including the crackdown on Iran's oil trade, financial sector and shipping industry announced for early November.

"Our goal is to reduce every country's imports of Iranian oil to zero by Nov 4.

"We are prepared to impose secondary sanctions on other governments that continue this sort of trade with Iran," he said.

Last week, US President Donald Trump warned the world about doing business with Iran, as European allies continued to grumble about the US policy.

But the US sanctions appear to have had an impact, tightening the country's supply of dollars and sending its currency into a tailspin, resulting in a jump in inflation that has hurt Iranian consumers.

For its part, Iran has said the US is unreliable, and it will not talk with Washington.

US officials have repeatedly said they only pressuring for a change in Iranian behavior and not a change in the government itself.

Asked whether the announcement of the Iran Action Group was purposely timed with 65th anniversary of the CIA-engineered overthrow of ex-prime minister Mohammad Mossadegh - which took place in mid-August 1953 - Hook labeled it "pure coincidence".

AFP - Xinhua - Reuters

(China Daily 08/18/2018 page8)