Mike Pompeo has a hostile obsession with Iran. From his earliest days as CIA director in 2017, he advocated for a "leadership decapitation strategy" against Iran, reportedly telling his underlings not to worry whether that act of war would be constitutional, because "that's a question for the lawyers." Pompeo also reportedly told friends that he "will not retire from public service until [Iranian Gen. Qassem] Soleimani is off the battlefield." He got his wish in 2020, successfully pushing President Donald Trump to assassinate the general.
After Pompeo became Secretary of State in 2018, his State Department sent out a weekly newsletter titled This Week in Iran Policy, showing off the "maximum pressure" campaign he unleashed. (There was no similar newsletter for China or Russia.) Since leaving office, Pompeo has spoken at pro–regime change conferences, promising that the collapse of the Islamic Republic is just around the corner and arguing that U.S. policy must be "increasing pressure on the regime until it falls."
