US VP Pence to lay out Iran policy in upcoming speech
January 7, 2020, 10:39 am

US VP Pence to lay out Iran policy in upcoming speech

US Vice President Mike Pence. (File photo AP)

US Vice President Mike Pence will give a speech next Monday laying out the government’s policy on Iran, a White House official said, after the US killing of a top Iranian general sparked protests across the Middle Eastern nation.

Pence will make the remarks at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ National Security Summit in Washington, and is expected to focus on differences between the Iranian people and their government, the official said, declining to offer further details on content and speaking on condition of anonymity.

Tensions between Washington and Tehran have heightened since a US drone strike killed Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani at the Baghdad airport on Friday.

On Friday, Pence praised the controversial move, tweeting that President Donald Trump “took decisive action and stood up against the leading state sponsor of terror to take out an evil man who was responsible for killing thousands of Americans.”

https://twitter.com/Mike_Pence/status/1213189745821540353

source:Reuters

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.