Iran Action Group
US State Department unit created in August 2018 to direct and coordinate Iran policy, led by a Special Representative for Iran reporting to the Secretary of State
| Iran Action Group
| |
|---|---|
| Logo |  Mike Pompeo announcing the group at the State Department, 16 August 2018 |
| Type | Unit of the State Department |
| Founded | 16 August 2018 |
| Founder(s) | Mike Pompeo |
| Location | Washington, D.C., United States |
| Area served | Iran policy |
| Services | Directing, reviewing and coordinating the State Department's Iran-related activity |
| Key people | Brian Hook (Special Representative for Iran, 2018–2020); Elliott Abrams (Special Representative for Iran and Venezuela, from 2020) |
The Iran Action Group (IAG) was a unit of the United States State Department, announced by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on 16 August 2018. Pompeo said it would be "responsible for directing, reviewing, and coordinating all aspects of the State Department's Iran-related activity" and would "report directly to me".[1] It was set up three months after President Trump withdrew the United States from the Iran nuclear agreement, and was led by Brian Hook, who took the formal title Special Representative for Iran.[1]
The State Department's archive of 2017–2021 content says the Special Representative for Iran "leads the Iran Action Group", which is "responsible for directing, reviewing, and coordinating all aspects of the State Department's Iran-related activity, and reports directly to the Secretary of State".[2]
Formation
In his remarks of 16 August 2018 Pompeo said that for nearly 40 years the Iranian government had been "responsible for a torrent of violent and destabilizing behavior", that Trump had withdrawn from the nuclear agreement in May and had put in its place "a campaign of pressure, deterrence, and solidarity with the long-suffering Iranian people". He said the United States hoped to "reach a new agreement with Iran" but wanted "major changes in the regime's behavior". The group would, he said, ensure the State Department stayed "closely synchronized with our interagency partners" in "a whole-of-government effort to change the Iranian regime's behavior", and would lead efforts with other nations that "share our understanding of the Iranian threat".[1]
Pompeo said Hook had been Director of Policy Planning at the State Department since February 2017 and had "played an important role in shaping our strategy of maximum diplomatic and economic pressure" since the May withdrawal.[1]
Hook's briefing
In a briefing the same day Hook said the group would launch "with a core staff of several permanent personnel, and additional experts will be detailed from the department". He declined to name its members. He said that he had worked on Iran since 2006 on the UN Security Council, "serving as an advisor to UN Ambassador Bolton".[3]
Hook said much of the group's work would be built around the twelve requirements Pompeo set out in a May 2018 speech, "mostly around nukes, terrorism, and the detention of American citizens arbitrarily detained". Asked whether the United States should talk to Iran, he said President Trump was prepared to engage in dialogue if Iran showed it would make "fundamental changes in its behavior", but that sanctions relief could "only begin after we see that the Iranian regime is serious about changing its behavior".[3]
A reporter noted that the announcement came close to the 65th anniversary of the 1953 coup in Iran and asked Hook about speculation that the group would oversee regime change. Hook's recorded answer was "Pure coincidence".[3] On sanctions he said the goal was "to reduce every country's import of Iranian oil to zero by November 4th", with sanctions on Iran's energy sector, shipping and shipbuilding and on foreign banks' transactions with the Central Bank of Iran coming into effect on 5 November, and that State and Treasury teams had visited 24 countries.[3]
Leadership
| Name | Position | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Hook | Special Representative for Iran (also Director of Policy Planning, from February 2017) | From 16 August 2018; departure announced 6 August 2020 | [1][4] |
| Elliott Abrams | Special Representative for Iran, in addition to being Special Representative for Venezuela | To assume the Iran role "following a transition period" after 6 August 2020 | [4][2] |
On 6 August 2020 Pompeo announced that Hook would "step down" as Special Representative for Iran and Senior Adviser to the Secretary, and that after a transition period Elliott Abrams "will assume the position of Special Representative for Iran, in addition to his responsibilities as Special Representative for Venezuela". Pompeo credited Hook with negotiating the release from Iranian custody of Michael White and Xiyue Wang.[4] The archived State Department page for the post lists Abrams as "U.S. Special Representative for Iran and Venezuela".[2]
Publications
The State Department's archive lists two reports titled Outlaw Regime: A Chronicle of Iran's Destructive Activities, dated 25 September 2018 and 19 September 2020, both tagged to the Special Representative for Iran. The archive page describes them as covering Iran's "support for terrorism, its missile program, illicit financial activities, threats to maritime security and cybersecurity, human rights abuses, as well as environmental exploitation".[5]
After January 2021
The State Department pages cited here are archived content released between 20 January 2017 and 20 January 2021 and are marked as not updated; they record the group's leadership only up to the end of that period.[2]
See also
External links
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Michael R. Pompeo, Remarks on the Creation of the Iran Action Group, US Department of State, 16 August 2018, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 US Department of State, Special Representative for Iran, archived content for 2017–2021, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Brian Hook, Briefing on the Creation of the Iran Action Group, US Department of State, 16 August 2018, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Michael R. Pompeo, On the Departure of Brian Hook, US Department of State, 6 August 2020, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ US Department of State, Outlaw Regime: A Chronicle of Iran's Destructive Activities, archived content for 2017–2021, accessed 10 November 2026.