Pompeo: Iran is the cause of the conflict in the Middle East and it has to leave Syria

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said: “The conflict in the Middle East is caused by Iran, and the United States of America and Israel want the Iranian regime to leave Syria.”

This came at the opening of the “Manama Dialogue 2020”, “the 16th Regional Security Summit”, which was launched yesterday evening at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Bahrain, and is scheduled to continue until Sunday.

Pompeo added: “The work done by the United States of America, and our policy of exerting maximum pressure, we believe has been effective, and helped prevent the Iranian regime from having the resources to pursue terrorism around the world.”

He continued, “We hope that the Iranian regime will make the smart decision, get out of Syria and stop its terrorism, which has caused 6 million people to become refugees and killed tens of thousands of people.”

He pledged, “To continue to pressure Iran to give up its sinister activities in the region, stop working with centrifuges, and support US allies in the Middle East.”

He stressed that “Iran must change its behavior towards the countries of the region, and that it is not possible to allow Iran to obtain Western technology.”

He pointed out that “Iran’s threat is not in its nuclear program, but rather with its missile program and its threat to the countries of the region.”

Pompeo stressed that the United States is continuing its efforts to establish peace in the Middle East, and that it is a sound decision for the peoples of the region, adding that “Abraham’s peace agreement is not an ink on paper.”

On Wednesday, Pompeo visited Israel for several hours, during which he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Blue and White leader Benny Gantz and Foreign Minister in the new Israeli government, Gabi Ashkenazi.