Biden administration extends protection for ex-Trump aides from Iranian threats
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Alaina
- . January 11, 2023
- . Update: January 11, 2023 4:13 pm
The United States (US) has extended government protection to ex-aides of former President Donald Trump from persistent threats from the officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The Joe Biden administration gave government protection to former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and one of his top Iran aides because of Iranian threats.
Last week, the US State Department said that the threats to Pompeo and Brian Hook, former US Director of Policy Planning, remained “serious and credible.” Hook also served as the Trump administration’s special envoy for the Islamic Republic of Iran.
According to the State Department, it has extended protection to Hook for the 10th time since he left office in January 2021. The State Department extended protection to Pompeo for the 7th time since he left office.
Recently, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesman Ramazan Sharif threatened Trump and his ex-aides over the killing of Qassem Soleimani in 2020. The Speaker of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Parliament, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, also said that Trump and his ex-aides must be held legally accountable for the assassination of Soleimani. Iran blamed Trump, Pompeo and Hook for killing Soleimani.
Read | Iran condemns daughter of former president to five years in prison
Reportedly, Pompeo and Hook were the public faces of the US campaign against Iran after Trump’s 2018 decision to withdraw the US from the historic 2015 Iran nuclear deal. The US exit from the deal affected the bilateral relations between Iran and the US.
Last year, the State Department paid over $2 million per month to provide 24-hour security to Pompeo and Hook. Despite spending money for Pompeo and Hook’s protection, the Biden administration continued indirect talks with Iran aimed at salvaging the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
The talks to revive the 2015 deal have been stalled due to conflict between US officials and Iranian officials. Iranian protests also created hostility between Iran and western countries.
