Pompeo accuses Biden administration of having ‘soft spot’ for Iran amid Houthi attacks

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused the Biden administration of being “soft” on Iran as Houthi rebels attack commercial ships in the Red Sea.

Pompeo, who has criticized President Biden’s foreign policy, said the current administration’s approach to Iran stems from the Obama administration and that it is impossible to negotiate with the Middle Eastern country.

“The Biden administration is soft on Iran,” Pompeo said Sunday in an interview with radio talk show host John Catsimatidis on WABC 770 AM’s “Cats Roundtable.” “From the beginning. It came from the Obama team.”

Mr. Pompeo emphasized that the current administration has lifted the terrorist designation of the Houthis in Yemen, and further lamented that, in his view, it is impossible to negotiate with the Iranian government.

“The Trump administration has designated the Houthis as terrorists,” Pompeo said. “They lifted the terrorist designation. They don’t understand that they cannot negotiate with the Iranians. There is no possibility of negotiating with the Iranian regime…unless the Biden administration confronts this issue, the head of the snake. As prices continue to rise here in the U.S., there is likely to be a risk to our services and our members who also serve our communities.”

The current administration stripped the label in 2021 and in January considered reimposing Yemen’s Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization, following months of attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea. It is compatible.

The Houthis are protesting Israel’s siege of the Gaza Strip, attacking and disrupting trade routes in the area. The U.S. military and its allies are responding strongly to this attack.

Since the attacks began, some shipping companies have rerouted ships, choosing longer routes to avoid the Gulf of Aden, at higher costs.

“I have no explanation as to why we have allowed these fist-headed rebels, whatever you want to call them, to call them by their tribal name, the Houthis. Why didn’t we step in there and destroy their ability to… not just control the flow?” Not just the oil, but all the products that pass through it. [the Red Sea]” Pompeo said.

“We saw the tragedy in Baltimore last week. We know what happens when ports are closed and how it affects the economy.”