Trump eyes Iran hawk to replace Tillerson
The US president is said to want CIA Director Mike Pompeo, who has advocated bombing Iran’s nuclear program, to become America’s top diplomat.
US President Donald Trump’s reported choice to replace Rex Tillerson as secretary of state is an outspoken Iran hawk who has advocated pulling out of the nuclear deal and bombing the country’s nuclear facilities.
The New York Times reported today that Trump intends to nominate CIA Director Mike Pompeo to replace Tillerson within the next few weeks. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., another hard-liner against Iran, would then replace Pompeo as CIA director.
Pompeo previously served as a member of the House Intelligence Committee, where he regularly inveighed against Iran’s growing influence in the region. His former colleagues remained tight-lipped about his potential nomination, which has not been announced. But Democrats who support the nuclear deal said they want to hear from him before they make up their minds.
“As far as I’m concerned, the jury’s out,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told Al-Monitor. “I’ll give him every benefit of the doubt and we’ll see how the hearings go.”
