After all that, the resulting deal – the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – was a failure because it was weak and flawed and it failed to address numerous pressing issues.

The direction of U.S. policy towards Iran has changed now that Donald Trump has taken office. He has prioritised getting the Iranian regime under control and he is working on a comprehensive, focused and effective policy.

Trump promised to leave the nuclear deal before being elected and he has followed through.

His administration also announced that there would be an Iran working group set up in the State Department. The aim of the group is to work towards democratic reform in Iran as well as directing the government in the right direction on Iran matters.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced last week that Brian Hook is the “special representative for Iran”. Hook explained that he is tasked with ensuring that foreign countries reduce their imports to Iranian oil to zero by the beginning of November. He said that the U.S. is hopeful that all nations will comply so as not to risk secondary sanctions. Hook explained that that U.S. has “launched a campaign of maximum diplomatic pressure and diplomatic isolation”.

The Iran lobby, predictably, has criticised the action group and said that it is just a way for Pompeo to bypass State Department experts so he can destabilise Iran.

The people of Iran have been on a quest for democracy, freedom, equality and the respect of human rights for years. Their uprising has been rising in strength since the end of last year and the clerical regime is clearly fearful of its future.

Finally, the people of Iran are set to have the support from the U.S. that they have needed for years. It remains to be seen if European officials will follow suit. After years of brutal suppression, the people have had enough. They have seen their country’s wealth plundered on terrorism, seen resources mismanaged and had their rights trampled on. It is about time a group in the Trump administration is set up to deal exclusively with the Iran issue.