Pompeo Would Go To Iran for Talks If Necessary

Says he'd go 'if that's the call'

In an interview Thursday with Bloomberg TV, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he would be willing to go to Iran for talks if it was felt necessary to get direct US-Iran negotiations going.

Pompeo said “if that’s the call, I’d happily go there,” and that he was open to having “a chance to speak directly to the Iranian people.” There is no sign any such proposal is being considered.

Pompeo was selected to go to North Korea at the start of the US diplomatic engagement with North Korea, and that, along with his status as Secretary of State, might make him a potential candidate to go to Iran for key talks. Pompeo, on the other hand, has leaned quite hawkish toward Iran policy, and is seen pushing the administration toward a military confrontation.

In that respect, Pompeo might find himself a very unwelcome candidate for engaging with Iran, if such engagement happens. Indeed, North Korea has asked that the US stop putting Pompeo directly into their talks as well.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.