Israel’s Netanyahu To Press Pompeo For More Pressure On Iran
Israel’s Netanyahu To Press Pompeo For More Pressure On Iran
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is heading to Portugal to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and call for increased pressure on Iran.
“We’re seeing the Iranian empire totter,” Netanyahu said on December 4 before departing for Lisbon, citing anti-government demonstrations in Iran, Lebanon, and Iraq.
U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed “tremendous” sanctions on Iran, he said. “It’s important to increase this pressure against Iranian aggression.”
Netanyahu and Pompeo, who will be on his way home from a NATO summit in London, are to meet in the Portuguese capital late in the day, according to the U.S. State Department.
Israel, which has the Middle East’s sole but undeclared nuclear arsenal, has accused Tehran of seeking to obtain nuclear weapons and strongly opposed a 2015 deal that gave Iran access to world trade in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.
Trump, a strong Netanyahu ally, in May 2018 withdrew the United States from the agreement, and has since reimposed crippling sanctions on the Iranian economy. Meanwhile, Tehran has gradually reduced some of its commitments under the accord.
Amid biting U.S. sanctions, more than 100 Iranian towns and cities were hit by days of protests over fuel-price hikes last month.
At least 208 people were killed in the government’s crackdown against the protesters, according to rights group Amnesty International.
Lebanon and Iraq, both countries where Iran has significant influence, have also seen major demonstrations against the local governments and political leaders.
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