The #Iran "plan B strategy" outlined by Pompeo today appears to be an attempt to take the “maximum pressure” approach used against #NorthKorea and apply it to Tehran. There are a number of problems with this thinking, but two big ones stand out. 1/ facebook.com/heritagefounda…
First, the Trump admin believes sanctions & military threats brought #NorthKorea back to negotiations. Both were factors in Pyongyang’s decision making, but they were not decisive on their own. The advances in the DPRK’s nuclear & missile programs were the decisive factors. 2/
Second, the approach put forward by Pompeo will require broad cooperation from allies and partners in order to work. The problem is that by violating the #IranDeal, the Trump administration has shattered the hard-won unity we once shared with our allies toward Iran. 3/
Nothing Pompeo said today will rebuild the consensus & coordinated approach we enjoyed w/the Europeans. In fact I suspect his words will strengthen their resolve to stick w/the deal & find ways to circumvent US sanctions. This speech will bring the Europeans & Iranians closer. 4/
There are only four countries that share the Trump administration’s views on the #IranDeal: Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain. In other words, the US now stands alone. This reality falls far short of a "strategy." 5/
Pompeo’s speech will not be well-received by the North Koreans. Reneging on a deal that Iran is complying with is bad enough. Coupling this with what comes across as an insistence on Iran’s full capitulation will set off "regime change" alarm bells in Pyongyang. 6/
