The secretary made his remarks in a speech at the National Press Club less than a week after a mob attacked the U.S. Capitol as lawmakers were certifying the Electoral College count for the presidential election. Pompeo has condemned the violence by the mob, though he has avoided criticism of President Trump, who has widely been accused of inciting it.
The secretary focused his remarks on laying out the connection between Iran, which the U.S. lists as a state sponsor of terrorism, and al Qaeda, the group responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
The secretary's speech served as a warning to the incoming Biden administration against rapprochement and engagement with Iran. Referring to the current leader of al Qaeda, he said:
"Since 2015, Iran has also given al Qaeda leaders greater freedom of movement inside of Iran under their supervision. As a result of this assistance, al Qaeda has centralized its leadership inside of Iran. Ayman al-Zawahiri's deputies are there today, and frankly, they're living a normal al Qaeda life.
"The time is now for America and all free nations to crush the Iran-al Qaeda axis. The Trump administration's actually made progress. Let's not tolerate Iran giving al Qaeda a second wind."













Comment: Many agree with Mr. Zarif on his assessment of Mike Pompeo's rabid dog handling of US foreign policy that is especially vicious to Iran: Bullies, to remain viable and on course, must create bigger ones. "Look there, not here" - a trademark of Pompeo policy.