TEHRAN – U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has threatened Iran with bringing about the collapse of its economy should it not “change its behavior”.

“The Iranian regime must fundamentally change its behavior and act like a normal nation. Or it can watch its economy collapse,” Pompeo said in a tweet on Friday.

This is not the first time the U.S. secretary of state threatens Iran with tough measures.

In remarks almost a year ago, Pompeo said Iranian officials must listen to Washington “if they want their people to eat”.

In reaction to his comments, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Pompeo’s open threat to starve the Iranian nation was “a crime against humanity”.

In January, Pompeo contradicted his earlier remarks by saying that Washington’s tough sanctions against the Islamic Republic were aimed at giving the Iranian people a chance to have better lives.

“The sanctions on Iran have this ultimate goal: creating an outcome where the Iranian people can have better lives than they have today,” he claimed.

U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew Washington from the 2015 nuclear deal in May 218 and restored the previous sanctions against Iran and ordered new ones. Trump has described his government’s sanctions against Iran as the “maximum pressure”. 

The sanctions were imposed regardless of Iran’s full compliance with its commitments under the JCPOA, which was struck between Iran and six major powers, including the United States, in July 2015.

Iranian officials describe Washington’s unilateral sanctions as an “economic war” and “economic terrorism”.

The Trump administration’s aggressive approach toward Tehran has caused tensions in the Middle East, especially in the key region of the Persian Gulf.

The latest wave of heightened tensions came following the September 14 strikes on Aramco facilities in Saudi Arabia, which was blamed on Iran without evidence. 

Iran categorically denied any involvement.

In another tweet on Friday, Pompeo announced deployment of more American forces to Saudi Arabia in the face of what he called “Iranian aggression”.

“The United States is deploying additional forces and military equipment to Saudi Arabia to enhance its defensive capabilities and to help restore deterrence against Iranian aggression,” Pompeo said.

The remarks came hours after an Iranian oil tanker was hit by two explosions in the Red Sea, 100 km (about 60 miles) away from the Saudi port city of Jeddah.

Tehran described the explosions, possibly caused by missile attacks, as a “dangerous adventure”.

MH/PA