The primary focus of the United States after September 11 was fighting terrorism, and the Trump administration refocused the national security apparatus, US State Secretary Mike Pompeo said, calling on the new administration to continue the good work.
“I think the Middle East is very different in 2020 than it was in 2015,” he noted, adding that providing more money to the “terror regime in Iran is a bad idea.”
Speaking during an interview with conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, Pompeo said that the days of sending pallets of cash over to Iran and “cutting a deal on nuclear weapons that does nothing but provide a path to nuclear capability – I think those days are behind us.”
The US administration made two big decisions at the beginning of its time including supporting Israel in its right to defend itself and recognizing Jerusalem as its capital, he said, indicating that not all settlements are necessarily illegal.
The second decision is identifying Iran as the primary destabilizing factor in the Middle East.
“Those two decisions led to the Gulf states recognizing that being partners, friends, commercial traders, security partners with Israel was the right solution.”
Pompeo noted that after countries all over the Middle East said they want to fight Israel, they are now saying they want to be friends, describing this move as a “historic change.”
He indicated that Sudan, Morocco, and other countries recognize now that working alongside Israel creates prosperity and security for them, and that is good for the US and its national security.
He then expressed belief that the US has demonstrated the right foreign policy with respect to Iran, saying he hopes the world will continue the same policies and that one day “Iran will rejoin the community of nations.”
“We fundamentally shifted to an idea that said we’re going to take care of America first, we’re going to get this right,” according to Pompeo.
Shapiro asked him about the attempts of the Chinese government to infiltrate other countries, Pompeo explained that he spoke about this issue a great deal during his time as Secretary of State and when he was the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
He raised alert that the Chinese Communist Party is the most existential threat to the US and its prosperity and security.
Pompeo warned the National Governors Association that the Chinese Communist Party is watching them, every governor, and every city councilperson.
“America has now had a leader who is refusing to bend a knee to China and is standing up to them, but there’s an awful lot more work to do, as you can see by the data that’s now coming out.”
Asked about the latest measures taken to combat Russian aggression, the Secretary explained that Russia’s efforts to use cyber capabilities against the United States are something that’s been consistent certainly for years.
“They tried to mess with our elections in 2008, 2012, 2016. We frankly did better in 2020 pushing back against them. This is a real challenge.”
