Pompeo stressed that he intended to “talk directly with the Iranian people.” The Secretary of state noted in the post the official accounts of Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Supreme leader Ali Khamenei. He recalled that Zarif came to the United States and had the right to speak freely.

“Is the situation of the Khamenei regime so bad that it cannot allow me to do the same in Tehran? What happens if their people hear the whole truth without censorship?” asked Pompeo.

In July, it became known that the US was ready to impose personal sanctions against Zarif, but decided to postpone this decision. Pompeo was also against the imposition of these sanctions.

Relations between the US and Iran escalated a year ago. In early May 2018, Trump announced Washington’s unilateral withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal and the resumption of sanctions against Tehran. A new package of US restrictive measures came into force in November.