US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday that Iran "is run by something that resembles the mafia more than a government," citing what he described as vast wealth and corruption among the country's leaders.
Speaking to a California audience composed mostly of Iranian-Americans, Pompeo said that while the Iranian people must determine the country's direction, Washington "will support the long-ignored voice of the Iranian people."
He added that the US government was launching a 24/7 Farsi-language channel on TV, radio, digital and social media formats to reach Iranians in Iran and around the globe, he said.