PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU:  Secretary Pompeo, our wonderful friend Mike, it’s good to see you back in Jerusalem.  I counted and I think we’ve – this is our 12th meeting since you became Secretary of State.  This doesn’t include dozens and dozens of telephone calls.  We have met here in Jerusalem and in Washington and in so many places in between, but every meeting was characterized by that same powerful alliance of values that has informed your activity and the activity of the Trump administration that cements even further the historic American-Israeli alliance.  I want to thank you, I want to thank the President, for all that you’ve done for Israel’s security and everything you’re doing to solidify this friendship.

There are two things, two great things that have happened since our last meeting.  The first is that you have stood up to Iran’s aggression and triggered the snapback sanctions.  I want to commend you for doing so.  I think people should realize that the Iran deal failed just as we predicted.  Not only did it not mollify Iran’s aggression, it fueled it, it increased it.  And we’ve seen Iran, since the JCPOA was concluded, emerging from its cage and devouring one country after another, targeting countries with rockets, with terrorism, with pillage and plunder and murder – murder – all over the Middle East and even beyond the Middle East, including into your hemisphere.

And in fact, to see the Security Council not only not join the American snapback sanctions but resist it or stand on the sidelines and allow this embargo on Iranian arms shipments – shipments to Iran – to agree to it I think is outrageous.  That means that this regime will get tanks and aircraft and missiles and anti-aircraft defenses to continue its campaign of aggression throughout the region and the world.  It’s just absurd.  So I want to congratulate you for standing there.  We stand with you.

I have to say that quite a few years ago I had to stand sometimes alone in publicly rejecting the JCPOA and alerting the world on Iran’s aggression.  That obviously changed with the inauguration of President Trump and everything that you have done since, but I think it’s important to point out that today we hear Gulf countries, countries in the Gulf, speak out as forcefully as I’m doing now.  And I think that I would suggest to our friends, especially our European friends, this point: that when Arabs and Israelis agree on something, it makes sense to pay attention.  So congratulations on the stand on the snapback and on the – your overall opposition to Iran’s aggression and its quest for nuclear weapons.

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SECRETARY POMPEO:  Amen, amen.  Thank you.  Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister.  Thank you for the warm welcome.  It is great to be back again.  As you said, this – I’m a frequent visitor here, and each time we build on the relationship, both our military relationship that gets focused on our security relationship, but also our economic relationship too, building out opportunities.  We talked about chances for our countries to work together as the whole world tries to push back against this virus that came from Wuhan, China, and I’m confident there are places which our medical systems and pharmaceutical companies will build out a good solution to keep Israelis, Americans, and people all across the world safer and healthier in the weeks and months ahead.

I appreciate your support.  President Trump’s made clear:  Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.  And we are determined to use every tool that we have to ensure that they can’t get access to high-end weapon systems, air defense systems, the ones that the prime minister spoke of.  We think it’s in the best interest of the whole world – many of these leaders tell me so privately.  It’s time to stand up.  It’s time to publicly account for the fact that Iran is on the cusp on October 18th of having access to those weapons and the money that will come from their sale of those weapons that will be used to inflict real harm, not only in the Middle East but in Europe as well.  And so I’m confident that we’ll achieve that and I welcome Israeli and Gulf state support for our effort.  The people most impacted by Iran having weapon systems are all in favor of this arms embargo being extended.  The rest of the world should join us.

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