U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a statement on May 8, listing the U.S. administration’s successes in putting pressure on Iran and insisting that Washington remains committed to block Iran’s “paths to a nuclear weapon”.

Pompeo did not shy away from describing U.S. policy as a “maximum pressure” approach to Iran, highlighting efforts to block Tehran’s oil sales and implementing other sanctions.

The secretary of state also portrayed a picture of close cooperation with European allies in countering Iran. He had displayed the same approach earlier in a joint press conference with his British counterpart Jeremy Hunt.

After Iran’s announcement on May 8 that it is “gradually” reducing its commitments to the 2015 nuclear deal and giving a deadline to other world powers to help neutralize U.S. sanctions, the Europeans seemed to be adopting a dual stance. They warned Iran not to violate the JCPOA accord, at the same time promising some help.

Pompeo mentioning his May 2018 twelve points outlining U.S. strategy toward Iran, said, “we will continue to apply maximum pressure on the Iranian regime until its leaders change their destructive behavior, respect the rights of the Iranian people, and return to the negotiating table.”