U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that “the sanctions on Iran have an ultimate goal” of “creating an outcome where the Iranian people could have better lives than they have today under this tyrannical regime”.

President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of the United States from the 2015 nuclear deal last May and ordered heavy economic sanctions to be reimposed to force Tehran to renegotiate the nuclear agreement, curtail its missile program and stop support for militant groups and interference in other countries of the region.

Although the Trump administration has repeatedly mentioned the negative impact of Islamic Republic policies on the Iranian people, Pompeo’s remark about the “ultimate goal” of sanctions is a more direct hint at the thinking within the administration that a drastic change is needed in Iran.

Speaking in an interview with Newsmax TV, Pompeo also said that sanctions waivers offered to friendly countries for continued imports of Iranian oil are for six months and, “We are continuously evaluating” to see “if they make sense” given the need to make sure there is a well-supplied oil market.”

Iran's oil exports significantly dropped in the last quarter of 2018, as the U.S. prepared to implement the second round of its sanctions on November 5. Iran has lost at least one million barrels a day in oil exports, reducing government revenues by close to15 billion dollars annually.