Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said President Donald Trump is working from a position of strength as the administration works for a deal with Iran, while Iran is at "its weakest strategic point in decades."
Pompeo wrote an opinion piece published by The Free Press that points to a list of situations surrounding the nuclear arms talks with Iran that could go either way for the Trump administration.
Pompeo said the key at this moment is leverage.
"President Trump is pursuing a deal with Iran while it is at its weakest strategic point in decades. Its proxies — Hamas and Hezbollah — have been decimated by Israel. Sunni states, like Saudi Arabia, are readying for normalization with the Jewish state — and are opposed to a nuclear Iran. The president's hand could not be stronger."
Pompeo helped negotiate a deal with Iran during his 2018-2021 tenure as secretary of state during the first Trump term in the White House. He said three things need to happen.
"First, Iran must fully and verifiably dismantle all uranium enrichment sites and destroy all equipment and components connected to enrichment activities."
Then Pompeo points to Iran's support for terror activities.
"Iran must cease financial, military, and political support to its proxy forces around the region and turn over to the United States the senior leadership of al-Qaeda, which lives comfortably in Iran. No deal made with the regime that leaves its terror proxies intact is to be trusted."
Finally, the former secretary of state said Iran needs to come to terms with national leaders throughout the Middle East.
"Iran should make peace with its Gulf Arab neighbors and cease threatening them and Israel by dismantling the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) external terror network it has built to wreak havoc in the region."
Pompeo said he agreed with Trumps position that if a deal cannot be achieved, a crippling military strike against Iran may be ordered.
Trump has a negotiating team in Rome to continue talks with the Iranian regime.