Pompeo Says Iran Responds Only to Pressure, Backs Iranians’ Right to Change the Regime

By Amr Gohar

Washington, D.C.Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the Iranian leadership retreats only when confronted with real pressure, not diplomatic concessions, arguing that decades of appeasement have failed to alter Tehran’s behavior.

In remarks aired on Fox News and widely circulated by Persian-language media on January 27, 2026, Pompeo criticized engagement-driven policies toward Iran, stating that optimism and incentives have consistently strengthened the ruling system rather than moderating it.

Pompeo said Iran’s leadership has used negotiations and sanctions relief to consolidate internal control while expanding repression at home and destabilizing activities abroad. According to him, Tehran responds only when it faces sustained political, economic, and legal pressure.

He also framed the Iran debate as extending beyond nuclear negotiations, emphasizing the Iranian people’s right to determine their own political future. Pompeo said international discussions should not be limited to whether to revive or abandon diplomatic deals, but should instead recognize the legitimacy of Iranians seeking fundamental political change.

While rejecting the idea of foreign military intervention, Pompeo argued that the international community should stop providing political and economic lifelines that, in his words, “shield the regime from accountability.” He stressed that any meaningful policy shift must focus on isolating the apparatus responsible for repression rather than accommodating it.

Pompeo’s remarks come amid renewed attention to Iran’s internal crackdown on dissent and growing calls for accountability over human rights abuses. He said sustained sanctions, legal documentation of abuses, and political pressure remain the most effective tools for confronting Tehran without triggering a wider conflict.

He also pointed to the need for greater protection of Iranian dissidents and opposition figures, arguing that leaving them exposed while the regime and its proxies retain overwhelming force undermines any claim of neutrality.

Pompeo concluded that recognizing Iranians’ right to change their government does not amount to advocating war, but rather acknowledges what he described as a fundamental principle of self-determination long denied by the current system.