Mike Pompeo says key to 'successful Iran' is disarming rogue nation, appealing directly to its people
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Following President Trump's cancellation of a secret meeting centered on peace talks with Afghan and Taliban leaders, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo turned his focus to Iran during a "Fox News Sunday" interview and shared his thoughts on how the country could become successful and prosperous.
"We want a successful Iran. We want them to be part of the community of nations," he told host Chris Wallace. "You can't do that when you're building missiles that threaten Europe, threaten Israel, and building out systems that could ultimately create a nuclear weapon."
Pompeo wouldn't comment on the odds of Trump meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani at the U.N. General Assembly later this month but said America must speak directly to the Iranian people and help them understand that the U.S. will not allow the country to obtain a nuclear weapon.
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"President Trump will think about whether it's appropriate to meet based on whether he thinks we can get an improved outcome for the American people," he said. "There are those [in Iran's government] who think it's wise to meet. There are those who just want to continue to kill people around the world.
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"We need to make sure that we're doing all we can to make those that understand that the revolutionary nature of the Iranian regime is unacceptable, that they've got to change their behavior, and that America will never permit them to have a nuclear weapon," Pompeo continued. "Those inside Iran that understand that, and I think that's the majority of the Iranian people as well -- those are the folks we want to make sure we talk to so that we ultimately get the right outcome."
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Trump left the door open to a possible meeting while speaking with reporters at the White House this past Wednesday, saying America could help lift sanctions and lower Iranian inflation if Tehran was willing to come to the table.
"Their inflation is at a number that few people have ever seen inflation at, and it's a very sad situation," Trump said. "They could solve it very quickly. We could solve it in 24 hours, but we'll see what happens."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News' Chris Wallace contributed to this report.