Revolution at 40: U.S. Officials React

February 6, 2019

On the eve of the 40th anniversary of Iran’s revolution, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemned Iran’s foreign and domestic policies. “Even your president, Hassan Rouhani, admits to the regime’s 40 years of failure. It didn’t need to be this way, but your ruling regime has always prioritized ideology over the interests and well-being of the Iranian people,” he tweeted. In his State of the Union address, President Donald Trump called the Islamic Republic a “corrupt dictatorship” and “the world’s leading sponsor of terror.” The following are excerpted remarks by U.S. officials and agencies. 

 

President Donald Trump

Trump“My Administration has acted decisively to confront the world's leading state sponsor of terror: the radical regime in Iran.

“To ensure this corrupt dictatorship never acquires nuclear weapons, I withdrew the United States from the disastrous Iran nuclear deal.  And last fall, we put in place the toughest sanctions ever imposed on a country.

“We will not avert our eyes from a regime that chants death to America and threatens genocide against the Jewish people.  We must never ignore the vile poison of anti-Semitism, or those who spread its venomous creed.  With one voice, we must confront this hatred anywhere and everywhere it occurs.”

—Feb. 5, 2019, in his State of the Union address

 

 

National Security Advisor John Bolton

 

 

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

 

“February 11th will mark 40 years since the oppressive regime came to power in Tehran. America’s economic sanctions against the 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 remain in force, because the regime’s threat to the region endures.”

—Jan. 10, 2019, in a speech at the American University in Cairo

 

Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook

 

State Department