WEBVTT 00:00.098 --> 00:01.431 - Afternoon all. 00:02.935 --> 00:05.303 The Trump administration is currently conducting 00:05.303 --> 00:09.470 across the entire government a review or our Iran policy. 00:10.058 --> 00:12.879 Today, I'd like to address Iran's alarming 00:12.879 --> 00:16.843 and ongoing provocations that export terror and violence, 00:16.843 --> 00:20.676 destabilizing more than one country at a time. 00:20.831 --> 00:24.247 Iran is the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism, 00:24.247 --> 00:27.798 and is responsible for intensifying multiple conflicts 00:27.798 --> 00:30.051 and undermining U.S. interest in countries 00:30.051 --> 00:33.384 such as Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and Lebanon, 00:34.562 --> 00:38.198 and continuing to support attacks against Israel. 00:38.198 --> 00:40.547 An unchecked Iran has the potential 00:40.547 --> 00:43.714 to travel the same path as North Korea 00:43.840 --> 00:46.386 and take the world along with it. 00:46.386 --> 00:48.501 The United States is keen to avoid 00:48.501 --> 00:51.936 a second piece of evidence that strategic patience 00:51.936 --> 00:53.686 is a failed approach. 00:54.512 --> 00:57.400 A comprehensive Iran policy requires that we address 00:57.400 --> 00:59.908 all of the threats posed by Iran, 00:59.908 --> 01:02.491 and it is clear there are many. 01:02.850 --> 01:04.686 Iran continues to support the brutal 01:04.686 --> 01:06.519 Assad regime in Syria, 01:06.929 --> 01:08.805 prolonging a conflict that has killed 01:08.805 --> 01:10.937 approximately half a million Syrians, 01:10.937 --> 01:13.270 and displaced millions more. 01:13.437 --> 01:15.571 Iran supports the Assad regime, 01:15.571 --> 01:18.873 even as it commits atrocities against its own people, 01:18.873 --> 01:21.434 including with chemical weapons. 01:21.434 --> 01:24.219 Iran provides arms, financing, and training, 01:24.219 --> 01:27.190 and funnels foreign fighters into Syria. 01:27.190 --> 01:30.205 It has also sent members of the Iran Revolutionary Guards 01:30.205 --> 01:33.622 to take part in direct combat operations. 01:34.096 --> 01:36.589 In Iraq, Iran provides support 01:36.589 --> 01:38.886 to some Iraqi militant groups, 01:38.886 --> 01:41.178 primarily through the Quds force, 01:41.178 --> 01:45.286 which has been undermining security in Iraq for years. 01:45.286 --> 01:49.453 Iran maintains a long-standing hostility towards Israel, 01:49.526 --> 01:52.619 providing weapons training and funding to Hamas 01:52.619 --> 01:56.452 and other Palestinian terrorist organizations. 01:57.067 --> 02:01.067 In deed and in propaganda, Iran foments discord. 02:02.012 --> 02:05.082 Just yesterday, the regime reportedly exhibited 02:05.082 --> 02:07.936 a missile marked, "Death to Israel" 02:07.936 --> 02:10.019 during a military parade. 02:10.677 --> 02:13.951 In Yemen, Iran continues to support the Houthis 02:13.951 --> 02:16.271 attempted overthrow of the government 02:16.271 --> 02:19.667 by providing military equipment, funding, and training, 02:19.667 --> 02:23.537 thus threatening Saudi Arabia's southern border. 02:23.537 --> 02:26.274 Interdictions by Emirati forces in Yemen 02:26.274 --> 02:28.467 and coalition forces in the Arabian Sea 02:28.467 --> 02:31.164 have revealed a complex Iranian network 02:31.164 --> 02:33.581 to arm and equip the Houthis. 02:34.161 --> 02:36.444 Iranian naval vessels continue to undermine 02:36.444 --> 02:38.923 freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf 02:38.923 --> 02:43.090 by harassing U.S. naval vessels that are operating lawfully. 02:44.236 --> 02:47.735 Iran has conducted cyber attacks against the United States 02:47.735 --> 02:49.568 and our gulf partners. 02:50.852 --> 02:52.899 Iran has been behind terrorist attacks 02:52.899 --> 02:54.921 throughout the rest of the world, 02:54.921 --> 02:57.678 including a plot to kill Adel Al Jubeir 02:57.678 --> 02:59.565 who was then the Saudi ambassor 02:59.565 --> 03:01.315 to the United States. 03:02.663 --> 03:04.946 Whether it be assassination attempts, 03:04.946 --> 03:07.663 support of weapons of mass destruction, 03:07.663 --> 03:10.283 deploying destabilizing militias, 03:10.283 --> 03:14.450 Iran spends its treasure and time disrupting peace. 03:15.305 --> 03:16.790 Iran continues to have one 03:16.790 --> 03:19.747 of the world's worst human rights records. 03:19.747 --> 03:23.378 Political opponents are regularly jailed or executed, 03:23.378 --> 03:25.506 reaching the agonizing low point 03:25.506 --> 03:28.087 of executing juveniles and individuals 03:28.087 --> 03:32.253 whose punishment is not proportionate to their crime. 03:32.253 --> 03:34.725 Iran arbitrarily detains foreigners, 03:34.725 --> 03:38.142 including U.S. citizens on false charges. 03:38.253 --> 03:40.565 Several U.S. citizens remain missing 03:40.565 --> 03:43.148 or unjustly imprisoned in Iran. 03:44.006 --> 03:46.871 Apart from the abuses inside Iran's own borders, 03:46.871 --> 03:50.580 it is the threat it poses to the rest of the world. 03:50.580 --> 03:53.312 Iran's nuclear ambitions are a grave risk 03:53.312 --> 03:56.312 to international peace and security. 03:56.664 --> 03:58.784 It is their habit and posture to use 03:58.784 --> 04:01.153 whatever resources they have available 04:01.153 --> 04:03.736 to unsettle people and nations. 04:04.795 --> 04:07.866 With its latest test of a medium-range ballistic missile, 04:07.866 --> 04:10.344 Iran's continued development and proliferation 04:10.344 --> 04:12.727 of missile technology is in defiance 04:12.727 --> 04:16.144 of U.N. security council resolution 2231, 04:17.568 --> 04:19.621 and it has previously stated it will conduct 04:19.621 --> 04:23.788 a second test flight of the Simorgh space launch vehicle, 04:24.102 --> 04:26.188 which would put it closer to an operational 04:26.188 --> 04:29.105 intercontinental ballistic missile. 04:31.001 --> 04:33.286 Any discussion of Iran is incomplete 04:33.286 --> 04:35.703 without mentioning the JCPOA. 04:36.707 --> 04:39.470 The JCPOA fails to achieve the objective 04:39.470 --> 04:41.303 of a non-nuclear Iran. 04:41.960 --> 04:46.127 It only delays their goal of becoming a nuclear state. 04:46.568 --> 04:50.251 This deal represents the same failed approach of the past 04:50.251 --> 04:52.132 that brought us to the current imminent threat 04:52.132 --> 04:54.215 we face from North Korea. 04:54.939 --> 04:57.532 The Trump administration has no intention 04:57.532 --> 05:01.699 of passing the buck to a future administration on Iran. 05:02.376 --> 05:05.180 The evidence is clear, Iran's provocative actions 05:05.180 --> 05:09.347 threaten the United States, the region, and the world. 05:09.855 --> 05:11.792 As I indicated at the beginning, 05:11.792 --> 05:13.963 the Trump administration is currently conducting 05:13.963 --> 05:17.278 a comprehensive review of our Iran policy. 05:17.278 --> 05:19.173 Once we have finalized our conclusions, 05:19.173 --> 05:21.098 we will meet the challenges Iran poses 05:21.098 --> 05:23.431 with clarity and conviction. 05:24.274 --> 05:25.107 Thank you. 05:26.090 --> 05:28.577 - [Man] Yeah, we'll take a few questions, Andrea Mitchell. 05:28.577 --> 05:30.575 - [Andrea] Mr. Secretary, by your own letter 05:30.575 --> 05:32.013 to the Speaker of the House, 05:32.013 --> 05:34.252 Iran is complying with the terms 05:34.252 --> 05:35.919 of the nuclear deal. 05:36.202 --> 05:40.056 If you break out that deal, won't that send a signal 05:40.056 --> 05:42.710 to North Korea and other world nations 05:42.710 --> 05:44.839 that the U.S. can't be trusted 05:44.839 --> 05:47.044 to keep its end of the bargain? 05:47.044 --> 05:49.663 And Iran is already being sanctioned 05:49.663 --> 05:53.579 for its terrorism, for its missile advancements, (mumbles). 05:53.579 --> 05:56.566 Is another option one that many Republicans on the hill 05:56.566 --> 05:59.544 suggested to increase those sanctions 05:59.544 --> 06:02.211 to punish Iran for those things? 06:03.018 --> 06:05.168 - Well, Andrea, I think it's important 06:05.168 --> 06:07.211 in any conversation on JCPOA, 06:07.211 --> 06:10.075 and I think this was one of the mistakes 06:10.075 --> 06:11.956 in how that agreement was put together, 06:11.956 --> 06:13.838 is that it completely ignored all 06:13.838 --> 06:16.922 of the other serious threats that Iran poses. 06:16.922 --> 06:20.305 And I just went through a few of those with you. 06:20.305 --> 06:21.908 And that's why our view is that 06:21.908 --> 06:25.113 we have to look at Iran in a very comprehensive way, 06:25.113 --> 06:27.696 in terms of the threat it poses 06:27.729 --> 06:30.470 in all areas of the region and the world, 06:30.470 --> 06:33.970 and the JCPOA is just one element of that. 06:34.214 --> 06:36.799 And so we are going to review completely 06:36.799 --> 06:39.129 the JCPOA itself, as I said, 06:39.129 --> 06:41.906 it really does not achieve the objective. 06:41.906 --> 06:45.489 It is another example of buying off a power 06:46.182 --> 06:47.694 who has nuclear ambitions. 06:47.694 --> 06:49.888 We buy them off for a short period of time, 06:49.888 --> 06:52.229 and then someone has to deal with it later. 06:52.229 --> 06:55.131 We just don't see that that's a prudent way 06:55.131 --> 06:56.652 to be dealing with Iran. 06:56.652 --> 06:58.089 Certainly not in the context 06:58.089 --> 07:00.451 of all their other disruptive activities. 07:00.451 --> 07:01.961 - [Man] Matt (mumbles). 07:01.961 --> 07:04.610 - [Matt] Mr. Secretary, you mentioned 07:04.610 --> 07:07.360 that the JCPOA is another example 07:08.666 --> 07:10.732 of the failed approach and you're likening it 07:10.732 --> 07:14.065 to strategic occasions from North Korea. 07:14.400 --> 07:17.713 On North Korea, is there a serious consideration 07:17.713 --> 07:21.042 being given to relisting it as a state sponsor 07:21.042 --> 07:24.044 of terrorism, a designation that was removed, 07:24.044 --> 07:25.840 in fact, by the Bush administration? 07:25.840 --> 07:28.631 - We're reviewing all the status of North Korea, 07:28.631 --> 07:31.541 both in terms of state sponsorship of terrorism, 07:31.541 --> 07:33.388 as well as all the other ways in which 07:33.388 --> 07:37.377 we can bring pressure to bear on the regime in Pyongyang 07:37.377 --> 07:41.159 to reengage, but reengage with us on a different footing 07:41.159 --> 07:42.761 than the past talks have been held. 07:42.761 --> 07:45.528 So yes, we are evaluating all of those options. 07:45.528 --> 07:46.778 - [Man] Connor. 07:48.518 --> 07:50.268 - [Man] In Venezuela, 07:51.965 --> 07:53.686 are you worried about the situation 07:53.686 --> 07:56.220 in the streets of Caracas in Venezuela? 07:56.220 --> 07:58.467 - I'm sorry, I didn't catch all your-- 07:58.467 --> 08:00.424 - [Man] The situation in Venezuela. 08:00.424 --> 08:02.104 (mumbles) is in turmoil. 08:02.104 --> 08:04.272 A lot of people on the streets of Venezuela, 08:04.272 --> 08:07.386 protesting against the government of Nicolas Maduro. 08:07.386 --> 08:09.549 Are you (mumbles) on the situation here? 08:09.549 --> 08:12.529 - Well, we are concerned that government of Maduro 08:12.529 --> 08:14.659 is violating it's own constitution 08:14.659 --> 08:16.942 and is not allowing the opposition 08:16.942 --> 08:18.498 to have their voices heard, 08:18.498 --> 08:21.189 nor allowing them to organize in a way 08:21.189 --> 08:23.690 that expresses the views of the Venezuelan people. 08:23.690 --> 08:26.243 Yes, we are concerned about that situation. 08:26.243 --> 08:28.746 We're watching it closely and working with others, 08:28.746 --> 08:31.163 particularly through the OAS, 08:31.350 --> 08:34.517 to communicate those concerns to them. 08:35.226 --> 08:39.052 - [Man] Thank you everybody, thank you very much. 08:39.052 --> 08:40.664 - [Andrea] Thank you, Mr. Secretary. 08:40.664 --> 08:41.664 - Thank you. 08:46.347 --> 08:48.764 - [Man] Thank you everybody.