Mike Pompeo, first the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) before State Department nominee, left, with President Donald J. Trump, right. (Photo: AP)
The Trump Administration announced the creation of the Iran Action Group to coordinate the State Department’s Iran-related activity. The new group will report directly to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
“For nearly 40 years, the regime in Tehran has been responsible for a torrent of violent and destabilizing behavior against the United States, our allies, our partners, and indeed the Iranian people themselves,” Secretary Pompeo said. “The Iranian people and the world are demanding that Iran finally act like a normal nation.”
Last May, President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPA).
During the announcement in the Press Briefing Room, Mr. Pompeo called the JCPA a “flawed” agreement that “failed to restrain Iran’s nuclear progress or its campaigns of violence abroad.”
“In its place, President Trump has instituted a campaign of pressure, deterrence, and solidarity with the long-suffering Iranian people,” he added. Our hope is that one day soon we can reach a new agreement with Iran. But we must see major changes in the regime’s behavior both inside and outside of its borders.”
Watch: Secretary Pompeo Announces The Creation Of The Iran Action Group
The Iran Action Group will now be responsible for advancing those foreign policy objectives on a daily basis. The secretary of state also announced that Brian Hook will lead the Iran Action Group with the formal title of Special Representative for Iran.
“Brian has served as the Director of Policy Planning here since February of 2017, and he has worked tirelessly to advance President Trump’s foreign policy priorities across multiple domains,” Secretary Pompeo said. “Brian’s diplomatic expertise and broad experience with Iran policy makes him an outstanding choice to lead the State Department’s Iran Action Group.”
Mr. Hook said they will need to take a “comprehensive approach” to better deal with the vast scope of aggressions by the regime in Tehran. That includes the pursuit of a nuclear weapons program, the proliferation of ballistic missiles, cyber threats and state-sponsored support for terrorism.
“The Iran regime has been a force for instability and violence,” he said.
The creation of the new Iran Action Group comes amid growing and widespread civil unrest in recent weeks. The protests started over economic grievances, and their nature quickly turned into anti-government demonstrations.
Prince Reza Pahlavi, the last heir apparent to the defunct throne of the Imperial State of Iran and is the current head of the exiled House of Pahlavi, recently wrote an op-ed entitled “Iranians Want Our Country Back” for The Wall Street Journal.
“The Iranian people have a message: We want our country back,” he wrote.
