WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday named senior policy adviser Brian Hook as special representative for Iran.
The move came as the administration prepared to increase economic pressure on Iran to force it to end its nuclear program and support for militant groups in the Middle East.
Hook will lead the Iran Action Group to coordinate the State Department’s actions on Iran, Pompeo told a news conference.
The announcement was not a surprise. Hook has been leading the department’s talks with allies in Europe and Asia to persuade them to cut off Iran’s oil supplies as of November.
“The Iran Action Group will be responsible for directing, reviewing and coordinating all aspects of the State Department’s Iran-related activity, and will report directly to me,” Pompeo said.
